As a man who was once horribly out of shape and has been working my way into something approaching fitness, here is my simple rule for starting out on cardio: tired is halfway.
If someone is out of shape and jumping on an exercise bike for the first time in years, they aren't going to be able to do a 30 minute ride. When you can only do 3 minutes and all of your lofty goals are out the window, it can be depressing. So when you are starting out, there will come a moment when you are out of breath and your joints hurt. Look at the clock to see how long you have been going and commit to not stopping until you have doubled it (i.e. "I've been going 5 minutes and 20 seconds and I am exhausted and want to quit. I will go until at least 10:40."). A lot of the benefits of cardio come when you are already exhausted; that is when you are pushing your body. Everything before tired is the warmup portion. My preferred cardio is a brisk walk outdoors. When I started, I would get tired about a mile in, so that is when I would turn around and come home, retracing my steps (giving me a two mile walk). Now, I routinely walk 3 to 5 miles a day, my resting heart rate is around 52 and my blood pressure is fantastic (116/69 at my last appt).
I also want to throw in a plug for kettlebells. If you are just starting out to get in shape, light kettlebells (8 or 15 lbs) can work wonders. YouTube is filled with videos on how to do the exercises. They will add strength and flexibility. You can do them at home away from any judgmental eyes at the gym (if I am doing a new exercise, I will also show the YT video to my wife and ask her to watch me to make sure my form matches the video). The kettlebells themselves are fairly cheap (I bought my 8 pounder for $8 at Burlington and the 15 pounder was $13). If you are large and out of shape (as I was), there will be some kettlebell exercises that you can't do yet. That's fine. Focus on the ones you can do to build strength, increase flexibility and lose weight until you can perform those exercises.
As a man who was once horribly out of shape and has been working my way into something approaching fitness, here is my simple rule for starting out on cardio: tired is halfway.
If someone is out of shape and jumping on an exercise bike for the first time in years, they aren't going to be able to do a 30 minute ride. When you can only do 3 minutes and all of your lofty goals are out the window, it can be depressing. So when you are starting out, there will come a moment when you are out of breath and your joints hurt. Look at the clock to see how long you have been going and commit to not stopping until you have doubled it (i.e. "I've been going 5 minutes and 20 seconds and I am exhausted and want to quit. I will go until at least 10:40."). A lot of the benefits of cardio come when you are already exhausted; that is when you are pushing your body. Everything before tired is the warmup portion. My preferred cardio is a brisk walk outdoors. When I started, I would get tired about a mile in, so that is when I would turn around and come home, retracing my steps (giving me a two mile walk). Now, I routinely walk 3 to 5 miles a day, my resting heart rate is around 52 and my blood pressure is fantastic (116/69 at my last appt).
I also want to throw in a plug for kettlebells. If you are just starting out to get in shape, light kettlebells (8 or 15 lbs) can work wonders. YouTube is filled with videos on how to do the exercises. They will add strength and flexibility. You can do them at home away from any judgmental eyes at the gym (if I am doing a new exercise, I will also show the YT video to my wife and ask her to watch me to make sure my form matches the video). The kettlebells themselves are fairly cheap (I bought my 8 pounder for $8 at Burlington and the 15 pounder was $13). If you are large and out of shape (as I was), there will be some kettlebell exercises that you can't do yet. That's fine. Focus on the ones you can do to build strength, increase flexibility and lose weight until you can perform those exercises.