October 2024
DETAILS
Get your heart pumping with this 19-day Cardio Challenge! This program is suitable for all fitness levels as no equipment is required and there are low impact and no jumping alternatives.
The goal of the cardio challenge is to get your heart rate up, and burn some calorie with bodyweight exercises. No equipment is required, and there are low impact variations throughout the challenge.
In short, cardio is steady-paced and great for building endurance, while HIIT is more intense, involves bursts of activity. Both are great for weight loss
You are recommended to do ALL videos listed for each day, e.g. if a day has three videos, you should do all three. If a video is listed twice, you should do it twice. If you're having trouble doing them, stick to the low impact versions until you get stronger. That being said, if a video is labeled as optional then it’s up to you if you want to do it or not. The warmup and cool down videos are optional but highly recommended. However, at the end of the day, these schedules are my recommended guide - please feel free to make changes as necessary to suit your needs
When you’re doing ab exercises, you need to engage your core. If you’re not, you’re probably using other parts of your body such as your back or your neck, and you risk to injure yourself. Just take it slow and focus on your breathing. This video of mine may help with tips on engaging your core: https://youtu.be/vN_jTQuSkjg
Please consult with a relevant healthcare professional before embarking on a weight loss journey, or if in doubt at any time. Losing weight is a matter of calories in vs calories out. You must be in a caloric deficit to lose weight, so what you eat will also affect your weight loss. This program incorporates a lot of cardio, which is aimed at helping you get into a caloric deficit. While this is a weight loss program, please remember that the number on the scale does not define you, nor does it tell the whole picture. 4 weeks is also a short time, and this is just the start of your journey if you’re new. Pay attention to how you feel at the end of this program. Have you become stronger? Can you do each exercise longer? Are you no longer as out of breath? Are you now excited to work out? All of these things should make you feel proud of your progress!
Every body is different, so the amount of weight you lose will vary greatly from person to person. If you have just started your fitness journey, you may lose more weight in the first week or so due to water weight. When you’re burning extra calories, your body starts dipping into its stores of energy, known as glycogen. The glycogen in your body is bound to water, so when you’re burning glycogen for fuel, the body also releases that water, hence losing water weight, and then find that your weight loss starts to slow thereafter. Make sure your goals are realistic in order to sustain the weight loss in the long-term. Don’t forget, you may lose weight but not lose inches, or you may remain the same weight but drop a dress size. The best way to track your physical progress is by tracking your measurements and taking before/after photos at the same time of day, in the same clothing, from the same angle. Make sure share your results on Discord, Instagram or YouTube so that we can all be encouraged by your success!
Diet plays an important role in losing weight but you also need to ensure you are eating a balanced, nutritious diet to fuel your body for these workouts. This is different for everyone and should be discussed with a professional - please speak with a registered dietitian or nutritionist, depending on your individual needs. You can also check out my new recipes section for some healthy recipe and snack ideas.
Yes that’s absolutely fine. Ideally it would be best to finish the workouts in one session, but definitely go at your own pace, and do as much as you can. If that’s only 1 video per day, it’s still great that you’re exercising! Stick to low impact as necessary, and work your way up to being able to do all of them. Just remember if you take a long rest/break (30min+) between videos, you may need to warm up again when you get back to it.
This is entirely up to you - if you are feeling strong enough then go for it. You can also just stick to low impact moves if you want. However, if your body needs rest, then please rest. Your body will naturally be weaker during that time so don’t be discouraged, you got this. After your extra rest day, just continue where you left off.