What is Cardio?
Cardiovascular or Cardio Health refers to how strong your heart and lungs are, and how much physical effort they can support. It is also one of the main parameters that determine the physical fitness of a person. Cardiovascular endurance, as many would call it, means that the heart and lungs can sustain a wide range of activities without feeling fatigue or strain. To put it simply, you can do many things like play and workout, without easily feeling shortness of breath or suffering from palpitations.
Cardio health or cardio vascular endurance is something that is not necessarily innate in everybody. No person is born with a weak or strong cardio system, contrary to what many people think. Cardio Health can actually be developed and improved over time, and it is in doing so that one maintains good health and keeps away from certain diseases and adverse conditions. One can only begin to enumerate the reasons why cardio exercises are very important.
How so we Measure Cardio Endurance
There are many ways by which medical experts gauge the cardiovascular fitness of an individual. One of the most common tests for cardio endurance is the one mile run. The time it takes to complete the run is measure enough of the cardio endurance of a person. Most people would use the one mile run to monitor their progress with their work out, to see if they are improving the overall health of their heart and lungs. Making a daily or weekly log of your one mile time can help you determine a noticeable improvement in your cardio endurance.
Cardio Workouts
How does a Cardio Workout Help?
In other cases, the cardio workout or the cardio exercise being done are just part of a larger fitness routine. Most weight lifters start their training with a cardio workout, to keep the blood pumping and to elevate their heart rate. After achieving the desired heart rate, they then proceed with their weight training. The cardio exercises in a way, serve as the warm up for the session. These exercises prevent strain and injury, and provide a good circulation of oxygen throughout the body.
Furthermore, the other reason why cardio exercises seem to be a must for most people is that it helps in burning fat. That’s right, to be able to effectively lose weight, you not only have to watch what you eat, but you also have to exert extra effort in burning off your excess calories. Cardio workouts are essential for any smart weight loss plan, as well as vital elements in maintaining overall health.
Best Cardio Exercises
Here are some good cardio exercises you can try out. See if you can integrate them into your daily cardio fitness routine, and soon you will notice a change in your cardio endurance.
Running – This is perhaps the simplest and most affordable cardio exercise you can do. There is no need for special equipment, as you can get a great workout with just a comfy set of exercise clothes and a good pair of running shoes. Running at a steady pace can burn you as much as 600 calories per hour. Remember that in every fitness regimen, you must start gradually, so don’t expect to immediately be able to run the mile in 5 minutes if you haven’t tried completing it in 15 minutes.
Walking – If you are a little intimidated about running, then you can start by doing regular walking session’s everyday. Take note that the type of walking you should do should have a pace beyond that of a stroll in the park or ambling at the mall, otherwise you won’t get a good cardio workout. Brisk walking, which means you heighten up the pace a little, can burn as much as 300 to 400 calories per hour. This is a good workout for people who are conscious about jarring knee or spinal impacts that are associated with running or jogging.
Swimming – Not only is this cardio workout a fun thing to do on a hot summer day, it also burns you about 500 to 600 calories per hour, much like in jogging or running. Swimming involves a linear movement, such that you move the distance of the pool in a back and forth manner, using any stroke that you are comfortable with. Swimming as a total body workout helps you regulate your breathing as well as strengthen your lungs and muscles. Plus, the water is like a cushion for your body, so you won’t have to worry about injuries caused by impact. Remember that you need to stretch, warm up, and cool down during your swimming workout.
Bicycling – To be able to achieve the maximum benefits of this, you must find a suitable place to regularly do your workout. Ensure that your bike is well maintained, and that the tires and brakes are working fine. In the same manner as swimming, you can burn off more than 500 calories to as much as 1000 calories per hour of cycling. It is always important to note that you must have complete safety gear such as helmets and gloves when bicycling. For added intensity, most people would go mountain biking, as the steep terrain and the elevation provide added resistance to work out the muscles more effectively.
Aerobics – The reason why the exercise is named such is because of how it is very much related to the process of aeration. It means you provide extra oxygen for your body as you elevate your heart rate, increase your breathing rate, and improve your circulation. For the continuous types of workouts during aerobics classes, you can expect to shed off 800 calories or more. Plus, the fast paced music and the variations in movement can both be fun and totally great for your arms and legs.
Remember, cardiovascular exercises are made to help you improve your overall circulation. Do not immediately strain yourself by doing more than you can handle. If you feel that you are getting short of breath or that your heart rate is too fast, take a rest and slowly get your breathing back to normal. Also, remember to always hydrate yourself before and after any workout.
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Hi!! Thanks for the valuable information. I like both jogging and swimming. But my favorite cardio is skiing. Not many people do it as an exercise and I know it is not really possible to do it regularly but I do it whenever I can. It gives me the thrills and also pumps my heart real well. It is a great feeling; swooshing through deep snow and burning hundreds of calories real fast. Nutritionists say that a 145-lb person burns about 330 calories during 30 minutes of skiing. Great, isn’t it? Enjoy the thrilling and adventurous sport and burn the extra calories at the same time. I can’t get a better deal!
@Peter: Thanks for the input mate. Skiing must be fun and I completely agree to the fact that its exciting compared to the other Cardio Workouts I mentioned above. Happy Skiing mate
Hi!! I really enjoy river rafting and rowing.. and i mean not rowing in a gym but on the river…. does this also count as a cardio exercise… never thought of it so before..but if it is true then I am really glad!!
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