When we heard about cardio, first thing comes in our mind is heart, so does this exercise belong to heart?
Answer is yes. Basically it’s a form of aerobics and aerobic means “with oxygen.” Aerobic exercise and activities are also called Cardio, it is short form of “cardiovascular”. During cardio activity, you repeatedly move mainly muscles in your arms, legs and hips. Which increase your heart rate and you breathe faster and more deeply. This increase the amount of oxygen in your blood and ultimately helps you use of more oxygen efficiently.
How efficiently you use O2 is called your aerobic fitness. When you do cardio effectively, your heart, lungs and blood vessels efficiently deliver large amounts of oxygen to all your body parts. And more of oxygen more energized and you will not tire as quickly.
If you just start your exercise, do it with low to moderately intense cardio activities, so you can do them for longer periods of time and gain maximum health benefits. Main cardio exercises are walking, bicycling, swimming, dancing and water aerobics, You can choose any activities or can do all as per your body allows. Also you can try skating, golfing or martial arts.
Benefits of Cardio
If you have gotten enough cardio exercise, your body will full charged with energy and you’ll realize this when you get to the top and feel out of breath. Few benefits of cardio exercise are as following
- Burn calories
- Help control your appetite
- Help you sleep better at night
- Strengthen your heart and body muscles
- Reduce joint pain and stiffness through body movement
- Help prevent or manage high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes
- Boost your mood through the release of endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals released by your brain
Does’t matter how old are you, cardio exercise will support you in your daily activities and increase your stamina and endurance.
How to Start
If you just start your exercise, do it slowly. You might walk few minutes in the morning and few minutes in the evening. Gradually add a few minutes to each session and then pick up the speed littlebit. Soon you could be walking briskly for 30 minutes a day. Also consider hiking, cycling, jogging, rowing, elliptical training — any activity that increases your breathing and heart rate.
Cardio can include three elements in your workout:
- Warm-up
Before each session, warm up for 5 to 10 minutes to gradually rev up your cardiovascular system and to boost blood flow to your muscles. - Conditioning
At your own pace, work up to at least 30 minutes of cardio a day to develop your aerobic capacity by increasing your heart rate, depth of breathing and muscle endurance. - Relax Slowly
After each session, relax for 5 to 10 minutes. Stretch your all the muscles, This Relax-workout stretch allows your heart rate and muscles to return to normal.
Moderate activity should cause you to breathe faster and feel like you’re working. But if you experience unusual pain or alarming symptoms during exercise, stop immediately and seek medical attention.
