Cardiovascular exercise or cardio makes you sweat. It makes you breathe hard. It can even mess up your hair. You may or may not like it.
Whether you enjoy a cardio workout to “clear your head” or you resent every sweaty moment in a spinning class, you must exercise if you want to reap the benefits of a complete fitness regimen.
Most people think of cardio as a slow, long-distance sport, such as biking, running or walking, etc. In reality, all types of exercise are cardio. Long, slow distances are cardio, just like weight training and boot camps are cardio. Cardio is any activity that gets your heart rate up and makes you breathe more deeply.
Weight training, or even vacuuming vigorously, is cardio. When you train with weights, you elevate your heart rate and breathing rate and it’s almost exactly the same as interval training or long runs.
Cardio, and not just the conventional type of slow, long-distance cardio, can help burn calories, increase metabolism (even a workout will have an impact!) and helps strengthen the lungs and heart.
Many people aren’t interested in doing traditional cardio, like a long run, because it’s too overwhelming. They’re too busy or they find it difficult or uncomfortable for their joints.
The idea is that you have to do 30 or 40 hours of traditional cardio. I doubt it’s necessary to do that. It is possible to do weight training, interval training or boot camp and get the same benefits as doing long walks or runs. The idea is to revise the definition of cardio, rather than omit it altogether.
It’s this simple: your heart rate increases and your breathing gets heavier. It helps to work large muscle groups, such as your legs or arms, or both. When you work the large muscles in your body, they require more oxygen, which can increase your heart rate and breathing rate.
For maximum benefits, try to perform it at least three times a week. People work on weekends, so do it on Saturdays and Sundays, and during the week. It doesn’t have to be exclusively weekdays. If you can devote more time to it, do it.
Visit Bronte Medical Center for more health information.
