If you’re carrying around some pounds you want to get rid of, then you need to do some cardio exercise for weight loss. If that sounds horrifying, don’t worry. There are many forms of cardio exercise that you’re sure to enjoy.

If you’ve not been exercising or doing any form of cardio exercise for a long time, you might feel really intimidated by the idea of starting. But you shouldn’t be. Cardio exercise can be something as simple as taking a brisk walk.

You don’t have to buy tights and leg warmers. There is no requirement as far as fashion or equipment to start out doing some good weight loss cardio. You don’t even need an exercise DVD. Step out your door and walk briskly for about 20 to 30 minutes, or as long as you’re comfortable at first.

If you’d like to try something besides walking, aerobic dancing is a good choice. You can just dance around your living room, but an exercise DVD is a good way to do it. You can find DVDs that will let you do basic dancing moves. Or you can choose a weight loss DVD of salsa dancing or belly dancing, and almost any kind of dancing you think you’d enjoy.

Cycling, swimming, hiking, and any type of activity that gets your heart rate and your breathing up are aerobic activities. That means it’s a cardio workout. Doing any of these things for at least 30 minutes four times a week is a great way to use cardio to lose weight. It

Specifically for weight loss though, the best thing to do is to change up your exercise routine. If you start taking brisk walks for five times a week, that’s wonderful. It will help you lose weight and it’s good for your body. But you can lose weight even more efficiently and build your endurance more efficiently if you vary your routine.

Instead of just walking, try to also incorporate jogging or running. Walk for a few minutes, and then run for a little while to get some cardio work in. You can time the sessions or you can just do it as you feel it. This is called circuit training.

If you’re cycling for cardio exercise, cycle at a leisurely pace for a few minutes and then go very quickly. If you’re on an exercise bike, cycle at a normal pace for a while and then spin like mad. The same goes for any exercise that you do. If you’re walking or cycling, using hills for this type of thing is wonderful.

You can also circuit training in another sense. Choose brisk walking one day, and then the next go for cycling or aerobic dancing. You can easily get into a rut doing the same thing every time.

Doing the same type of exercise is better than nothing, and it’s wonderful. But if you can change it up a little bit, the cardio exercise for weight loss that you do will be more effective.