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The Ins and Outs of Cardio
Fitness
Fitness is becoming an
increasing problem. Every year it seems that more and more people develop
poor eating habits and spend more time in front of TV and computer screens
than exercising. However, that trend can be turned around. One way to do
that is through cardio fitness.
Defining Cardio Fitness
Before we can understand the ins and outs of
cardio fitness, we need to
understand what cardio fitness actually is. Generally, people think of a
cardio activity as any prolonged sort of exercise, such as biking or
jogging. That's somewhat true, but there's more to it than that.
Cardio exercise is actually exercise that raises your heart to the latter
end of your target
heart rate zone. That's sort of an exercising
sweet spot. It's the point at
which your heart is pumping your blood enough to be
working hard, but not
over worked. Typically, that means that you're feeling the
workout, but
still able to breathe regularly and talk without too much difficulty, while
you train.
Benefits of Cardio Exercises:
Although many people do cardio to lose weight, there are many hidden
benefits of cardio exercise. For example, it helps you to
sleep better at
night. That can give you more energy, help you to avoid illness and
fatigue
and even improve your mood. Cardio exercises can also lower your
blood
pressure and your cholesterol, which will reduce your chances of heart
attacks and strokes. When you combine all of that with
weight control, the
benefits are clear.
High Versus Low Intensity Cardio:
You've probably heard cardio described as either
low or high intensity, but
what's the difference. Well, low intensity cardio is typically done for
about 30 to 60 minutes at a time. It's any exercise that gets your heart
pumping at about 60 or 65 percent of its maximum capacity.
On the other hand, there's high intensity cardio. That involves getting your
heart pumping to up to 85 percent of its capacity. It's usually only done
for short spurts, though. The typical length is about 20 to 30 minutes per
session. What cardio routine to do will depend a bit on you.
Lifestyle, Needs and Wants:
The type of cardio routine you should be looking for will depend a lot on
your lifestyle, your needs and your wants. For example, do you want to lose
weight, or are you only interested in maintaining your current weight? Do
you have several days a week that you could use for
training, or is your
schedule restrictive? How out of shape are you to begin with? All of those
things are major factors.
Starting Out Slow:
Remember, any cardio is better than no cardio. It's also much better to
start slow and gradually increase your routine than to jump into too much
too fast. So, if you're just starting out, you can begin with just a few
minutes a day over a few days a week. Then, eventually, you can slowly work up to
half an hour to an hour per routine up to 5 days a week or so. Keep in mind
that the body needs some recovery time, so it's not a bad thing to rest a
bit a couple days a week.
Adapting Your Routine:
Not everyone has tons of time. In fact, these days, many of us feel like we
don't have enough time for even the
cardio basics. You can adapt your routine,
though. Suppose that your office is near your home, for example. You could
speed walk or bicycle to work a couple days a week, rather than driving.
Another option is taking the stairs, rather than the elevator, if you happen
to work in an office building. It's all about adapting your routine to
squeeze in at least a few minutes of cardio in an otherwise busy day.
Keeping Cardio Interesting:
Another thing that you need to understand about cardiovascular exercises, or
any exercises for that matter, is that they only work if you do them. By
that I mean that you need to keep them interesting. If your exercises are
boring, you're apt to quit.
One way to keep things interesting is to choose cardio exercises that you
enjoy, such as dancing, walking, bicycling or whatever you find fun. Another
way is to choose several fun things and do a different one each day. There's
no reason that you have to do the
same exact cardio exercise every time,
after all. No one cardio exercise is the best. There are actually a lot of
equally great ones out there.
Under or Over Training:
When it comes to cardio, you can both under and
over train. Under training
means that you won't burn fat as efficiently as you could, nor will you
gain
fitness benefits or
build muscle efficiently. So, if you're serious about cardio for weight
loss, you have to find and stick to the optimum routine.
On the other hand, if you over train, your body is going to resist you. You
won't lose weight. You'll feel fatigued. You can even make yourself more
prone to serious injuries. So, the best bet is to work with a personal
trainer. They will be able to custom tailor a routine to you. Not only that,
but they'll keep you motivated on days when you feel like giving up.
Training to Improve
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