It is widely acknowledged that when engaging in strength training, allowing a day or two of rest between sessions is essential for muscle recovery. But what about cardiovascular exercise? Is rest still necessary? While cardio provides numerous benefits—such as enhancing heart and lung function, strengthening muscles, improving circulation, boosting mood, promoting better sleep, and reducing the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes—questions about rest days in relation to cardiovascular training remain.

This article delves into the critical aspects of cardio exercise frequency, drawing on expert recommendations and offering practical safety tips to help you establish a balanced and effective routine tailored to your individual needs.

What to know about cardio or aerobic activity

When you do cardio exercise, like running, cycling, or swimming, your muscles need more blood and oxygen than when you're resting. This makes your heart and lungs work harder, and over time, they get stronger. The main goal of cardio is to make your heart and lungs healthier, improve your stamina, and help your muscles get more oxygen.

Cardio workouts are typically classified into two types:

Moderate-intensity activities, like walking briskly or casual biking, where you can talk but not sing during the exercise.

Vigorous-intensity activities, such as running or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), where it’s hard to say more than a few words without catching your breath.

If you thrive in a group exercise environment, there are a variety of dynamic aerobic classes and sports you can explore, including: kickboxing, boot camp, spin classes, Zumba, dance workshops, basketball, and soccer.

Dr. Anthony Crouch, a cardiovascular specialist, explains, "Cardio exercise is fundamental for maintaining heart health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, and boosting mental well-being."

What’s the recommended amount of cardio exercise?

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advocate the following guidelines for adults:

• A minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity per week,
• Or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardiovascular activity per week,
• Alternatively, a combination of both, distributed evenly throughout the week.

For extra health benefits, it's recommended to double these amounts. Whatever cardio exercise you do, make sure to do it for at least 10 minutes at a time to get the full benefits.

If you're trying to lose weight or train for endurance events, you may need to increase how long or hard you do cardio. But it's important to find a balance to avoid overdoing it, which can cause tiredness or injury. If you're doing moderate exercise, like a brisk walk, 30 minutes a day can bring many benefits. You can also split this into two 15-minute walks or three 10-minute walks each day.

There is no recommended upper limit on the amount of cardio exercise you should do on a daily or weekly basis. However, if you push yourself hard with every workout, then skipping a day or two each week to rest may help you avoid injury and burnout.

Is it safe to do cardio every day?

A 2012 study in the British Journal of Pharmacology found that doing up to 60 minutes of cardio exercise each day is safe and effective, especially if the goal is weight loss.

While cardio is important for health, doing it every day may not be the best or safest choice for everyone. Whether it's safe or effective depends on factors like how hard you work out, your fitness level, and how well you recover.

Benefits of Daily Cardio

Improved cardiovascular health: Frequent activity keeps the heart strong and efficient.

Mood enhancement: Aerobic exercise releases endorphins, reducing stress and anxiety.

Consistency: Regular cardio fosters habit-building and long-term commitment to fitness.

Potential Risks

Overtraining: High-intensity cardio every day can lead to burnout, muscle fatigue, or injuries like shin splints or stress fractures.

Recovery interference: The body needs rest to repair and strengthen after workouts. Without it, you risk diminishing returns and potential health issues.

Sports medicine expert Dr. Megan Byrne emphasizes, "It’s not just about working out hard but also about balancing effort with recovery. Even elite athletes incorporate rest days into their training schedules."

What are the pros and cons of doing cardio every day?

Daily cardio exercise has its share of pros and cons. And it’s important to understand what they are, as these factors can affect your health.

Pros of Daily Cardio Exercise

• Enhances cardiac function and cardiovascular health, contributing to a stronger heart.
• Promotes better sleep quality, particularly when exercise is performed earlier in the day.
• Improves blood circulation and aids in the management of high blood pressure.
• Optimizes the body’s utilization of fat as an energy source, potentially facilitating weight loss.
• Enhances pulmonary function and overall respiratory health.
• Elevates mood, increases energy levels, and mitigates stress.

Cons of Daily Cardio Exercise

• May lead to physical and mental fatigue.
• Risk of muscle mass decline, which can occur if caloric intake is insufficient to prevent the body from utilizing muscle tissue for energy.
• Potential for injury resulting from overtraining.

Should you do cardio every day if you want to lose weight?

Weight loss happens when you burn more calories than you eat. That’s why cardio exercise, which burns calories, can help with weight loss. However, doing cardio every day may not always be the best approach for losing weight.

For instance, if you walk briskly for 30 minutes at 3.5 miles per hour, you can burn around 140 calories. Over a week, that adds up to about 980 calories, which is almost 4,000 calories in a month.

Even if you don't reduce your calorie intake, doing 30 minutes of cardio every day could help you lose at least one pound per month (since one pound is about 3,500 calories).

Exercising more frequently and making dietary changes could result in even greater weight loss. Keep in mind, though, that as your fitness improves, your body may become more efficient at burning calories.

Instead of doing cardio every day, combining it with strength training and maintaining a healthy diet can optimize weight loss. Strength training preserves lean muscle, which helps you burn more calories even at rest. This could include doing cardio exercise 3 to 4 days a week and strength training 2 to 3 days a week.

Nutritionist Claire Andrews advises, "Cardio is an important tool for weight loss, but it should be paired with strength training and proper nutrition for sustainable results."

Safety Tips

Before starting a cardio workout routine, it’s important to understand your current fitness level and set achievable goals. If you’ve been inactive for a while, start with shorter, low-intensity sessions. As your endurance improves, you can increase the length of your workouts, but avoid making them more intense just yet. Once you can handle longer sessions, you can gradually start increasing the intensity to improve your cardiovascular fitness further.

Also, keep these safety tips in mind:

Start Slow: If you’re new to cardio, begin with moderate-intensity exercises a few days a week and gradually increase frequency and intensity.

Listen to Your Body: Rest or reduce intensity if you feel pain, fatigue, or discomfort.

Stay Hydrated: Drink water before, during, and after your workout to avoid dehydration.

Invest in Proper Gear: Wear supportive shoes and appropriate clothing to prevent injuries and improve comfort.

Mix It Up: Incorporate different types of cardio to prevent boredom and reduce the risk of overuse injuries.

Warm Up and Cool Down: Begin with light movements to prepare your body and finish with stretches to aid recovery.

Monitor Heart Rate: Use a heart rate monitor, like a Coospo heart rate monitor, to ensure you’re working at a safe and effective intensity.