Aerobics for Introverts: 7 Moves You Can Do at Home

While gyms provide easy accessibility to treadmills, ellipticals, StairMasters, and other cardio machines, it’s easy to do aerobic exercise at home.

“You definitely don’t need a gym membership to get your cardio in,” says Nathalia MeloNFPT-CPT, a Bikini Olympia champion and private trainer.

But, she warns: Be careful about letting the comfort of home creep into your aerobic workout.

“When training from home, it’s easy to not take it so seriously,” she says. “There’s laundry to be done, or the children desire a snack, or the ground must be mopped. Make sure that you just schedule that point so that you can train, rain or shine.”

What Is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobic exercise is any activity through which your body relies totally on oxygen to supply energy.

“Any sustained low- to moderate-intensity activity lasting longer than two minutes is aerobic exercise”, explains Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. “Because that’s when your body turns mostly to oxygen and either glucose or fat for energy.”

Your effort level during aerobic exercise should generally lie somewhere between a leisurely walk within the park and an intense, red-faced hill sprint.

Jogging, swimming, and cycling at a gentle pace are all examples of aerobic exercise.

Shorter, more intense bursts of exercise — HIIT, sprinting, a gymnast’s tumbling pass — are examples of anaerobic exercise, as they’re fueled more by energy sources stored inside the muscle, not oxygen.

7 Aerobic Exercises You Can Do at Home

Help excuse-proof your routine by doing aerobic exercise at home. You’ll need minimal equipment and a small patch of floor space to get in a killer workout.

1. High knees

• Stand along with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
• Simultaneously lift your right knee as high as you possibly can, but a minimum of to hip level, as you bend your left elbow and lift your left arm in a running motion.
• Quickly switch legs and arms in order that your left knee is lifted, your right arm is raised, and your right foot is on the ground.
• Continue to alternate legs in a jogging motion until all reps are complete.

Program: Find it in Rough Around The Edges‘ COREdio workout!

2. Squat touchdown

• Stand along with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
• Jump your feet to somewhat greater than hip-width apart and land in a squat position.
• As you land, touch your right fingertips to the ground, keeping your back flat, shoulders back, and core engaged.
• Jump your feet back together, and return to a standing position along with your arms at your sides.
• Repeat with the alternative hand and proceed alternating sides until all reps are complete.

3. Burpee



• Stand along with your feet about hip-width apart. Sit your hips down and back, bend your knees, and lower your butt right into a squat position. Place your palms on the bottom in front of your feet.
• Jump your feet back so that you just’re in a high plank position. Keep your back flat, core engaged, and neck neutral as you lower your body to inside just a few inches off the bottom.
• Push your body back as much as a plank position.
• Jump your feet forward to satisfy your hands, lift your chest as you rise to standing, then jump straight up within the air, clapping your hands overhead.
• Land softly and immediately go into the following rep. Repeat until all reps are complete.

Program: Find it in Tough Mudder T-MINUS 30‘s Burpee Challenge workout!

4. Jumping jack

• Stand along with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
• Simultaneously jump each feet out to your sides, landing with a soft bend within the knees as you sweep your arms to the perimeters and clap your hands overhead.
• Bring each arms back all the way down to your sides as you jump your feet back together.
• Repeat for the required variety of reps.

5. Mountain climber



• Start in a plank position along with your palms and the balls of your feet on the ground. Keep your neck neutral, your body straight, and your core engaged.
• Draw your right knee toward your chest, keeping your back flat and your butt down.
• Quickly switch legs, bringing your left knee to your chest and placing the ball of your right foot on the bottom.
• Continue alternating legs for the required variety of reps.

Program: Find the mountain climber in Tough Mudder T-MINUS 30‘s Sheriff Abs workout!

6. Jumping rope

• Stand along with your feet together and your knees barely bent, holding a jump rope handle in each hand. Position the rope behind your feet.
• Lift your chest up, draw your elbows near your rib cage, and produce your hands out to your sides. Your hands ought to be about hip height, along with your palms facing forward.
• Keeping your core engaged, quickly flick your wrists forward, bringing the rope up and over your head. As the rope moves toward your toes, jump off the balls of your feet, allowing the rope to pass underneath them.
• Land softly, maintaining a slight bend in your knees, and proceed for the required variety of reps.

Want to enhance your jump rope skills? Here are some additional suggestions.

7. Medicine ball slams

• Stand holding a medication ball in front of your chest along with your feet about hip-width apart.
• Keeping your core engaged, press the drugs ball directly overhead.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and push your butt back as you bring the drugs ball down toward the ground. Release the ball at about knee-level, slamming it to the bottom.
• Reach for the ball, return to the starting position, and immediately repeat your entire movement until all reps are complete.

How Much Aerobic Exercise Do You Need?

According to the World Health Organizationadults should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week.

However, anyone seeking to improve their health, drop just a few kilos, or just reap more advantages of aerobic exercise should double that quantity to 300 minutes of aerobic exercise throughout the week.

6 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Health experts across the board, from the American Heart Association to the Mayo Clinicagree: Aerobic exercise offers a wide range of advantages that range from physical to mental and emotional.

1. Weight loss and maintenance
   Aerobic exercise, together with sensible eating habits, can make it easier to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
2. Improved heart function
   Aerobic exercise strengthens the center, enabling it to pump blood more efficiently, promoting healthy blood pressure. Additionally, aerobic exercise helps keep the arteries clear by increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).
3. Better sleep
   Do you end up up counting sheep at night? Aerobic exercise has been shown to assist improve sleep quality and reduce sleep latency.
4. Stress reduction
   Aerobic exercise releases endorphins, those feel-good brain chemicals that help relieve stress and boost your mood.
5. Increased immunity
   If you’re feeling run down and catching every bug that’s going around, try boosting your immune system with aerobic exercise.
6. Reduced health risks
   Regularly partaking in aerobic exercise has been shown to positively affect cardiovascular health and help maximize longevity.