Guide to Cardio ExercisesWriten by Ark Agpalza
Below is some information regarding cardio exercises, the benefits, specific routines, and other resources.
Cardio training has recently gained lots of attention in the health and fitness world, and for good reason.
There are tons of benefits to cardio training, including:
- Increased heart and lung health
- Increased overall muscular and bone strength.
- Increased energy levels
- Increased ability to burn fat and overall calories
- Decreased risk of getting devastating diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers
I do both cardio and strength training. But if I had to choose between the two, I would choose cardio exercise because it can improve health in so many ways and prevent some of the most harmful diseases.
Follow these guidelines for doing cardio exercises.
1. Get your heart and breathing rate up. This is the essense of cardio training. You're basically strengthening the muscles in your heart and lungs, which prolongs their health. You don't have to kill yourself, but you can't be too lax in your exercise either. A good place to start is at a rate at which you are breathing faster than normal, but are able to carry on a conversation without having to gasp for air in mid sentence.
2. Do activities that involve the large leg muscles. Because of their size and position in the body, the heart needs to work harder to increase the blood flow to them as they are moving. These exercises include power walking, hiking, jogging, running, dancing, swimming, and biking.
3. The best exercises are the ones that you enjoy (assuming they meet the first 2 requirements) doing. If you don't enjoy it, there's a great chance that you won't even do it. And if you do, you'll probably slack off. It can even result in some negative effects, like a laborous job that you wouldn't like. By doing routines that you enjoy, there's a far greater chance that you'll do them on a long term, regular basis. You'll also reap the psychological benefits of doing something enjoyable. Take a brisk walk in the park, or along the beach shore. Play with the kids. Play a sport that you like. Just make sure you like it!
4. Do cardio exercise at least 3 times per week, with a rest day in between each session.
5. Before each session, warm up by doing 5-10 minutes of light intensity activity. After you have warmed up, stretch your muscles.
6. Increase your activity to medium or high intensity and sustain it for 30 minutes. If you just starting out, go as long as you can, five minutes for example. Slow down your pace until you are ready for your next interval. Try make your increased activity interval longer every session.
7. After your session, cool down with 5-10 minutes of light activity, then stretch your muscles again.
Ark Agpalza has dedicated more than 10 years to the cause of healthy living, and is the author of the online publication Free Health and Fitness Tips.
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