Cardio 101 - Your Basic Guide to Cardio
For some, the mere mentioning of the word “cardio” sends shivers down their entire body. If you are one of those individuals who hates the “c” word, perhaps you are not fully aware of the importance cardio has on your body. Maybe you do know the importance of cardio, but dread it because you think it’s boring. Cardio does not have to be boring. The best cardio workout incorporates elements that will challenge you and keep things exciting.
What Is Cardio
Cardio, also known as aerobic exercising, is any exercise that increases blood flow, circulation and heart rate through the consistent movement of one’s arms and legs. It has numerous benefits and can be accomplished through various types of exercises. Some common types of cardio are: running, cycling and swimming.
Benefits of Cardio
Cardio exercises have many significant benefits on the body. First and foremost, cardio improves one’s cardiovascular health. It can help to reduce the harmful cholesterol known as LDL. Additionally, cardio can lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and strengthen the heart and lungs. Cardio doesn’t only prevent you from heart disease, but it also prevents or staves off other diseases like diabetes.
Cardio also improves your mental health, or “mood.” Cardio causes the body to release a chemical called serotonin. This chemical can help an individual to feel happier, which will definitely improve one’s mood especially if they are depressed, stressed or angry. Cardio can also help to boost one’s self-esteem.
Perhaps, one of the biggest reasons individuals do cardio is because of how much cardio can help to lose weight and body fat. Cardio helps you to burn off more calories and trim off that extra weight.
Recommendations
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommend that adults ages 18 to 64 participate in a minimum of:
· 150 minutes of medium-intensity cardio over a 3 to 5 day period
· Or 75 minutes of vigorously intense cardio over a 3 to 5 day period
Additionally, you should do at least 10 minutes of cardio at a time. You can break up your cardio workout into 10 minute sessions throughout the day to meet the minimum requirements.
Medium intensity is generally defined as 50 to 80% of maximum heart rate. Vigorous intensity is generally defined as 80 to 95% percent of maximum heart rate.
The ACSM also recommends 60 to 90 minutes of exercise per day to lose weight or to maintain the weight loss that you have already accomplished.
Equipment
Depending on your fitness level and experience, you can incorporate various cardio machines into your cardio workout to increase the difficulty of your workout, to avoid inclement weather or to better gauge your heart rate, distance, calories burned and more. For example, alternating between an upright exercise bike and a stair climber can help to keep your body adapting to the stress, improve cardio levels and strengthen different muscles. Additionally, these machines have impressive monitors that help you to document various measurements that are needed to track your overall progress. Make sure you know how to properly operate the different pieces of cardio equipment before attempting to use them.
Making Cardio Fun
If you are one of those people who find cardio to be boring, then you must find creative ways to make it more exciting and engaging. One of the best options for making cardio more fun is by participating in a group exercise class. Cardio doesn’t have to be exclusively performed on the previously mentioned machines or outdoor running, walking and swimming.
Cardio workouts, and meeting the minimum cardio recommendations, can be accomplished through participating in group exercise classes like Zumba, step class, spin class, aqua aerobics, boot camps and more. These classes provide unique and challenging workouts each day. Additionally, they are done in a group environment with engaging music to help keep you motivated, inspired and working hard.
Group classes like Zumba combine cardio movements with Latin style dancing, which not only makes cardio more fun, but it also can make you a better dancer. Boot camps will not only target cardio, but they will also incorporate strength exercises.
If it’s summer time and you want to be in the pool, then consider taking aqua aerobic classes which will undoubtedly challenge your entire body and make you a much better swimmer.
These classes, and many more, definitely make cardio much more exciting and will also provide you with an environment that’s fun, challenging and a terrific way to meet new people.
Safety
Regardless of which exercise, group exercise class or piece of equipment you choose, safety is the number one goal. You must workout according to your current fitness level and your physical limitations. For example, if you are an elderly individual, you will most likely need to use machines that don’t require balance and coordination. A recumbent bike is perfect for elderly individuals because you can sit down, it has back support and it’s less stressful on your joints.
Lastly, make sure you check with your doctor to ensure that you can participate in a cardio workout.
Nice article. It would be interesting to read a more detailed article about a cardio workout schedule :)
I will look into writing a more in depth article about various types of cardios workout scheddules!