How to know if your cardio workout is actually working

Monitor your heart rate to make sure your cardio workouts are actually working

While it's always beneficial to change your workout up, some people feel more comfortable just sticking to cardio. But how do you know if this is actually having any real impact on your body?

(Related: Blast belly fat without any cardio)

There's one way to tell. Cardio is most beneficial when it comes to boosting your metabolism and keeping your heart healthy, but for that, you need to make sure you're working out at a moderate intensity at least.

(Related: 8 cardio exercises that burn more fat than running)

The centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that for moderate intensity we should be aiming for our heart rate to be between 50 and 70 per cent of our maximum heart rate during exercise.

(Related: Why fasted cardio gives energy slumps the runaround)

You can calculate your approximate maximum heart rate by taking your age off 220. So being 27, my maximum heart rate is approximately 193 beats per minute (bpm). If I want to be doing a cardiovascular work out at moderate intensity, I should be aiming for a heart rate of anything between 96 and 135 bpm.

But before you see the word 'maximum' and panic, thinking you'll keel over and die if you surpass it by a couple of beats, don't worry. It's intended to be a guide. However, you need to be very careful you're not over-exerting yourself, and your heart rate is the best indicator of this. If you see your heart rate reaching the upper echelons of your estimated maximum, take some time to stop, cool down, and have a drink before returning to exercise.

Ideally, the NHS suggests adults should be doing 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week, in conjunction with some strength exercises to keep our joints and our muscles in good health too.

(Related: The only type of cardio that gets you jacked)

So now you know what you should be doing, whack on a fitness tracker to monitor your heart rate, but most importantly just get out in the sunshine (while it lasts) and run.

A version of this article originally appeared at

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