Cardio Exercise

Why cardio should be an essential part of your workout routine

No matter what your goals are for working out, losing weight, relieving stress, or your overall health, cardio exercise is a key component. Doctors recommend 150 minutes of cardio exercise per week, but if you’re trying to lose weight, you might need even more.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio at least 5 days a week, or a combination of 25 minutes of high intensity cardio at least 3 days a week and moderate to high intensity strength training at least 2 days a week. If you’re looking to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, they recommend 40 minutes of moderate to high intensity cardio 3-4 days a week.

What is cardio exercise?

Cardio exercise is any repetitive activity that raises your heart rate into your target heart rate zone for at least 10 minutes, the zone at which you’ll burn the most calories and fat. Working the muscles in your heart by raising your heart rate helps open up your capillaries and enables you to burn more fat and calories even after you’ve finished your workout.

Cardio exercises can include: walking, elliptical, running, high intensity interval training, cycling, stair climbing, jumping rope, swimming, rowing, and circuit training.

What are the benefits of cardio exercise?

Cardio exercise affects just about every part of your body. It can help you burn fat and calories, strengthen your heart, and increase the amount of air you can take into your lungs.

Cardio workouts help lower blood pressure and cholesterol by increasing blood flow, and help prevent heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. You’ll also get stress relief from released endorphins, and you’ll sleep better at night.

In the long run, you can maintain bone density and muscle strength with weight-bearing cardio exercise. Day-to-day, you’ll have more energy, feel more confident, and set a good example for your family.

Who should do cardio exercise?

Everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone should participate in at least some cardio exercise to help improve and maintain their health. There are cardio workouts for people who like to exercise outdoors, in a gym, or at home. You don’t need a lot of equipment or time, you can start with just a 15 minute walk outside.

Be sure to consult your doctor or a fitness professional before starting your cardio workout to make sure you’re starting at an intensity level that is right for your health.

Setting up a cardio workout routine

• Any activity that gets your heart rate up will work. There is no best exercise.
• You can make any activity challenging enough to qualify as cardio.
• Choose an activity that you enjoy so you’re more likely to continue doing it.
• Change up your workout every so often so you discover more activities you like and don’t get bored.
• Start with the basic exercises to make it a habit before getting too complicated.

Starting with some personal training at a gym is helpful if you need help figuring out the best exercises for you. We’d be happy to help you out! And don’t forget that we offer a free 7-day guest pass for new customers.