{"id":806730,"date":"2026-10-18T16:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T16:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806730\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T16:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T16:14:25","slug":"what-30-days-of-daily-cardio-did-for-one-womans-body-and-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/806730\/","title":{"rendered":"What 30 Days Of Daily Cardio Did For One Woman\u2019s Body And Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated4 min read<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. After deciding it was time for a change, she committed to doing some form of cardio every day for 30 days<\/a>, 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).<\/p>\n

Alongside weights<\/a> and mobility<\/a>, she tried everything from running<\/a> and hiking to water aerobics, spin<\/a>, dance, and tennis<\/a>, 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\u2014all of which were positive, and all of which led to her cementing a sustainable habit she will willingly continue. Here\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n

A caveat: While cardio<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

1. She felt happier and more energized\"cardio<\/p>\n

YouTube<\/p>\n

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 \u201cenergized, fast, and happy,\u201d adding, \u201cWow, I feel great.\u201d Even on days when she needed to dial things back, she noticed the difference movement was making, saying a rest day was \u201cso needed\u201d and left her legs feeling \u201cso much better.\u201d She also found herself rediscovering the joy of trying new things, admitting: \u201cI’m having a lot of fun. I haven’t tried new things like this in a really long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Her aerobic fitness and VO2 max improved\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

As the month went on, Espe could feel her fitness improving in real time. \u201cI’m not tired when I’m doing these things. And that feels great,\u201d 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 (\u201dgood\u201d for her age) to 37.37 (\u201dexcellent\u201d) by the end of the challenge.<\/p>\n

3. Running became easier\u2014and more enjoyable\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Running in particular transformed from something challenging into something she genuinely looked forward to. She repeatedly logged her \u201cfastest run yet\u201d and said one guided run was so emotional that she \u201calmost cried.\u201d Another run felt so good that she immediately wanted to do it again, calling it \u201ca good way to start the morning.\u201d By the end of the challenge, she was surprised to find herself declaring running \u201cso hecking fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. She started noticing physical changes\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

The benefits weren’t just mental. As she continued moving every day, Espe said she was \u201cfeeling really strong in the gym\u201d 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 \u201cminutes, hours, and days\u201d where she felt \u201clike garbage\u201d and didn’t want to keep going.<\/p>\n

5. She discovered exercise she genuinely enjoyed\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

One of the biggest takeaways was learning that there is no single \u201cbest\u201d workout. Instead, the most effective form of exercise is the one you actually want to do consistently. In search of activities she enjoyed, she tried everything from squash to water aerobics, which the latter turning out surprisingly enjoyable: \u201cNobody told me water aerobics was awesome.\u201d Even workouts she found difficult were often described as \u201cvery fun,\u201d and she finished several sessions admitting, \u201cNever thought I’d say this, but I had a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Trying new activities boosted her mood\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

More broadly, stepping outside her comfort zone gave her a noticeable mood boost. She said she was \u201chaving a lot of fun\u201d and found joy in activities ranging from pole dancing to hiking with her parents, adding, \u201cIt just feels really good.\u201d After one dance session, she declared, \u201cI feel empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. She became more appreciative of her body<\/p>\n

The challenge also shifted her perspective on what her body can do. On tougher days, she reminded herself how \u201clucky\u201d she was to have \u201ca fully functioning heart and body\u201d that allowed her to move in so many different ways. By the end, she hoped her experience would inspire others to move more in ways that make them feel \u201cstrong, fast, sexy, calm, and alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. She learned that recovery matters\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Doing cardio every day taught Espe an important lesson: recovery is essential. After logging her slowest run, she recognized it as a sign that she needed rest, saying her legs were \u201cso tired.\u201d She also noticed when she was feeling \u201ca little dehydrated\u201d and \u201ca little tired,\u201d making time for stretching because, as she put it, \u201crecovery is super hecking important.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. She built a habit she wants to continue\"cardio<\/p>\n

@makariespe\/\/YouTube<\/p>\n

Perhaps most importantly, the challenge helped her create a sustainable routine. She found that aiming to fit exercise into shorter 20-minute sessions made it easier to get moving and said she had really \u201chit my stride.\u201d By the end of the month, she saw \u201cno reason\u201d not to keep going, adding, \u201cOnly positive things have come out of it.\u201d Her biggest takeaway? \u201cA little bit of movement every day can make a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find the Perfect Women\u2019s Health Training Program for You\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Headshot<\/p>\n

As Women\u2019s Health UK\u2019s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.<\/p>\n

After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine\u2019s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!<\/p>\n

Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner\u2019s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in <\/a>print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as \u2018Fit At Any Age\u2019, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.<\/p>\n

She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks \u2013 all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"4 min read If a desk job and evenings on the sofa are leaving you short of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6647,102,56,215257,54,55],"class_list":["post-806730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-uk","tag-uk-synd","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}