If a desk job and evenings on the sofa are leaving you short of the expert-recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week, setting yourself a fitness challenge could help shift your routine. It did for Canadian YouTuber and former athlete Makari Espe. After deciding it was time for a change, she committed to doing some form of cardio every day for 30 days, to see whether moving more could improve her mood, stamina, and boost her VO2 max (the max amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise, and a key marker of aerobic fitness).
Alongside weights and mobility, she tried everything from running and hiking to water aerobics, spin, dance, and tennis, using the month-long experiment as an opportunity to find the forms of fitness she actually enjoys. Thirty days later, she noticed some surprising changes to both her body and mind—all of which were positive, and all of which led to her cementing a sustainable habit she will willingly continue. A caveat: While cardio is brilliant for your heart, stamina and mental wellbeing, it's not the gold standard of exercise in isolation.
To reap the full health benefits of movement, experts recommend pairing aerobic exercise with regular strength training and mobility work, like Espe did. Think of cardio as one piece of the fitness puzzle rather than the whole picture. It didn't take long for Espe to notice a shift in how she felt.
Just a few days into the challenge, she said she was feeling “energized, fast, and happy,” adding, “Wow, I feel great.” Even on days when she needed to dial things back, she noticed the difference movement was making, saying a rest day was “so needed” and left her legs feeling “so much better.” She also found herself rediscovering the joy of trying new things, admitting: “I'm having a lot of fun. I haven't tried new things like this in a really long time.” As the month went on, Espe could feel her fitness improving in real time. And that feels great,” she said, noting that her aerobic capacity had noticeably improved.
She also became stronger on her runs and discovered that walking and running were her preferred forms of cardio. The improvements were reflected in her VO2 max score, too, which rose from 33.76 at the start of the experiment (”good” for her age) to 37.37 (”excellent”) by the end of the challenge. Running in particular transformed from something challenging into something she genuinely looked forward to.
She repeatedly logged her “fastest run yet” and said one guided run was so emotional that she “almost cried.” Another run felt so good that she immediately wanted to do it again, calling it “a good way to start the morning.” By the end of the challenge, she was surprised to find herself declaring running “so hecking fun.” The benefits weren't just mental. As she continued moving every day, Espe said she was “feeling really strong in the gym” and beginning to see the benefits of regular cardio. That said, she was also candid about the fact that the challenge wasn't always easy, admitting there were “minutes, hours, and days” where she felt “like garbage” and didn't want to keep going.
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