A 10-Minute Cardio Workout You Can Do Just About Anywhere

The workout below is for Day 23 of the Just Enough Workout, a four-week workout plan. Today’s routine is pretty great on its own, but you can also check out the full program right here or browse the calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails featuring these workouts, you can do that here. 

Welcome to the last steady-state cardio day of this program!

With that in mind, we suggest giving yourself an added challenge today: Add a few extra minutes to your chosen cardio routine. You could tack on another two or three minutes at the same level of intensity, or take it down a notch and make the final few minutes a dynamic cooldown. For example, if you’ve been cycling, dial down the resistance, sit up tall, and take a few deep breaths while you continue to pedal and stretch out your upper body. If you’re jogging outside, take it down to a walk and breathe deeply, taking in your surroundings. 

Cardio workouts don’t have to be—and shouldn’t be—punishing in order to be effective and make you feel accomplished. And adding extra time doesn’t mean you have to push yourself harder. Instead try thinking of those few minutes as more “you” time. Maybe you use those moments to think about all that you’ve accomplished so far this month. Or maybe you just turn up the volume on your favorite song and sing along to the chorus. 

As with the other cardio routines you’ve had, you’ll be using RPEs, or rates of perceived exertion, to judge how you feel throughout this workout. We’re including the scale below, which is based on one from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), for reference:

• RPE: 0 – At rest.
• RPE: 1 – Very light effort. You can easily hold a conversation.
• RPE: 2–3 – Your warm-ups, cooldowns, and recovery intervals. You can speak comfortably in full sentences. 
• RPE: 4–5 – Moderate effort. Talking in more than a sentence or two at a time is difficult. 
• RPE: 6–7 – High, vigorous effort. You can only speak a few words or phrases at a time—not full sentences.
• RPE: 8–9 – Very hard effort. Talking is almost impossible. Maybe you can muster a breathless “yes” or “no.”
• RPE: 10 – All-out, maximum effort. Talking is out of the question.

Enjoy today’s “set-it-and-forget-it” cardio—we’ll be back tomorrow with more strength training. 

Just Enough Movement Directions:

• 10 minutes steady-state cardio (RPE: 3–4)

Just a Little More Movement Directions:

• 20–30 minutes steady-state cardio (RPE: 4–5)

Photographer: Katie Thompson. Wardrobe styling: Rika Watanabe. Makeup: Monica Alvarez at See Management. Hair: Erin Piper Hershleb at L’Atelier. Creative director: Amber Venerable.

Jo Murdock wears: Top: Lululemon Energy Bra, $52. Bottoms: Lululemon Align High-Rise Pant, 25”, $98. Shoes: Lululemon Chargefeel Mid Women’s Workout Shoe, $148.