Goal: Drop Weight
Mistake: Walking or running at one pace.
Leisurely strolling on the treadmill or the elliptical for a solid 45 minutes may get you sweating, which will help with temporary weight loss, but there are more effective strategies for your longer term goals. I'm assuming if your goal is to see the scale go down you probably want the weight you lose to be from fat. The most effective cardio workout for fat loss is interval training.
The Fix: Interval training.
Instead of shuffling along reading your magazine or watching TV, get ready to work.
The bad news is you'll need to work harder than you have been working. The good news is you can go for a shorter period of time.
Plan on a 20- to 30-minute workout. Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes, then perform a 30s-90s interval at a pace you couldn't hold for longer than that. Your heart rate should be above 85 percent of your max heart rate or at a point where you couldn't carry on a conversation. Follow with equal or more recovery period at an easier pace, letting your heart rate come down to under 70 perecent of max. Repeat for 5 to 10 rounds.
More: Blast Fat With This 30-Minute Interval Workout Plan
The 7 Golden Rules of Weight Loss
Goal: Stress Relief and/or Active Recovery
Mistake: You push yourself too hard.
If your goal is active recovery or stress relief be careful you don't go too hard and actually detriment your recovery. Doing steady state cardio, getting your blood flowing can be beneficial, in this case, but keep your intensity to under 70 percent of max heart rate.
The Fix: Go outside.
Instead of being at the gym indoors, go outside and enjoy your surroundings with a leisurely walk. Sunshine has been shown to help decrease cortisol, your stress hormone.
More: 5 Reasons Running Makes You Happier
Sign up for a fitness class.
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