CARDIO 101 (the basics)

[MsBiatch]

*Part 1: Cardio Basics

With 34% of Americans overweight, it's clear that many of us are not following the latest fitness guidelines that prescribe an hour of exercise a day. In fact, there was no doubt a collective groan when people realized they would now have to find an hour each day to do something they can't seem to find 5 minutes for. How important are these guidelines and what can you do to make them fit into your life?

The Simple Facts About Cardio

Before we talk about how much cardio you should do, you should at least have an idea of why it's so important. Cardiovascular exercise simply means that you're involved in an activity that raises your heart rate to a level where you're working, but can still talk. Here's why do you need to do cardio exercise:

It's one way to burn calories and help you lose weight
It makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood
It increases your lung capacity
It helps reduce risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes
It makes you feel good
It helps you sleep better
It helps reduce stress
I could go on all day, but you get the point
Bottom line: you need cardio if you want to get your weight under control and get your stress to a tolerable level.



*Part 2: Choosing Your Cardio

Type of Exercise

The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of activities you'd like to do. These days, there are so many choices, there's no reason you can't find something you enjoy. If you like to go outdoors, running, cycling, hiking or walking are all good choices. If you like the gym, you'll have access to stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, treadmills, rowing machines, stairmasters and more.

For the home exerciser, the available videos cover everything from Tai Chi to kickboxing and, if you want more info before you buy, visit Video Fitness for in depth reviews.

Just about anything is acceptable as long as it involves a movement that gets your heart rate into your Target Heart Rate Zone. Remember:

There is no 'best' cardio exercise. Anything that gets your heart rate up fits the bill
It's not what you do, but how hard you work. Any exercise can be challenging if you make it that way
Do something you enjoy. If you hate gym workouts, don't force yourself onto a treadmill. If you like socializing, consider team sports or a walking club.
Do something you can see yourself doing at least 3 days a week.
Be flexible. You don't have to do the same thing all the time--it's boring and will lead to weight loss plateaus as well. Feel free to turn on the radio and dance around the house like a fool.
Do something...anything. Please. We really need to take care of this obesity problem



*Part 3: Cardio Duration

Duration

After you choose what to do, the most important element of your workout will now be how long you do it. You should work on duration before you work on anything else--it's more important than how fast you're going. If you're a beginner, be cautious and start with a few minutes, adding more time to each workout until you're up to 30 minutes.

The 'official' guidelines say to workout for an hour. Once you've stopped laughing over the idea of finding an hour for exercise, listen up: if you don't have that kind of time, use whatever time you DO have, even if you have to:

Do mini-workouts throughout the day
Take a few minutes here and there for some stair-climbing or speed walking
Do all those things you know you should be doing: take the stairs, walk more, stop driving around looking for that primo parking space, etc.
Make the time. People who workout don't have more time than people who don't. They're just better than you. Kidding! No, regular exercisers have learned how to prioritize their time and make exercise number one on their to-do list. Plus, they know it makes life better (something you'll find out for yourself, little grasshopper).
Pay someone to make you exercise. Finding a good personal trainer can make a difference when it comes to motivation, goal-reaching, etc. You can even hire someone online.
Do something...anything. If you think 5 minutes isn't enough time to workout, you couldn't be more wrong. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 40 minutes--every single minute counts so don't flake out on me with the I've-only-go-a-few-minutes excuse because I'm not buying it and you shouldn't either.
Note: doing too much cardio is a no-no as well. You don't need to kill yourself with hours of cardio--there is a point of diminishing returns, so keep it reasonable and don't forget to take some rest days.



*Part 4: Cardio Frequency

Frequency

The frequency of your workouts will depend on your fitness level and your schedule. Beginners should start with about 3 non-consecutive days of cardio and work their way up to more frequent sessions. The general guidelines are:

To maintain current fitness level: 2-4 days a week (at least 20 minutes)
To lose weight: 4 or more days a week (at least 30 minutes)
To train for a triathlon: You don't want to know.
But, what if you can't follow the guidelines? Then do it for however many days you DO have. If you only have two days to workout (and you'd have to work really really REALLY hard to convince me you can't find another day to exercise, but whatever), then that's what you do. It's certainly better than nothing.

Keep in mind that if you can't follow the guidelines, you may have trouble reaching your goals. If you can't do the work required to reach your goals, you have two choices:

Change your schedule/lifestyle/whatever to accommodate your goal, or
Change your goal
It's totally up to you. There's no super glue binding you to your goals and if you know you can't (or won't) do what it takes, then why lie to yourself? Because, you enjoy living in denial, don't you? Admit what you'll really do and move forward instead of setting yourself up for failure with goals you know you aren't going to work for. And don't end your sentences with prepositions! End of lecture.



*Part 5: Cardio Intensity

Intensity

Once you've gotten used to exercise (and are up to 30 minutes of continuous movement) you can start tweaking your intensity. How hard you work is a crucial factor in your workout because:

How hard you work is directly related to how many calories you burn
Raising intensity is the best way to burn more calories when you're short on time.
It's an easy part of your workout to change--all you do is work harder
It's easy to monitor with a heart rate monitor or perceived exertion scale
So how hard should you work? That depends on how long you have to exercise. You want to work at an intensity you can maintain for the length of your workout.

In an hour-long workout, keep intensity low so you won't wear yourself out.
In shorter workouts, raise the intensity since you're working out for a shorter period of time.
You can vary the intensity of some workouts with interval training to burn more calories
Make sure you can carry on a conversation. If you can't talk, you're working too hard.
Learn easy ways to monitor your intensity
NOTE: The target heart rate calculation is just a GUIDELINE--not gospel. If the calculator says your max heart rate is 120 beats per minute and you're not even sweating, please feel free to go faster. Really, I can't believe I have to explain these things but I always, always do. You know your body way better than an internet calculator, right? Right.



*Part 6: Setting Up Your Cardio Program

Setting Up Your Cardio Program

If you're a beginner, your first order of business is creating a routine. What you do is less important than setting up a regular time to do it. Keep in mind that there is no best time to exercise. The best time is whenever you'll actually do it. Here's where you start:

Choose a time to exercise. Be flexible--if you find that morning exercise isn't working, don't be afraid to try a different time of day. Experiment...Be wild and workout at lunch! Be crazy and do it before dinner! There are no rules!
Choose the days you'll exercise and then schedule them IN INK. Treat them just like any other important appointment.
Choose your exercise and make it accessible. Perhaps a walking program will appeal to you--you can do that just about anywhere.
Be prepared. If you're working out in a gym, get your gym bag ready the night before. If you're working out first thing in the morning, but your gear next to your bed. Get the picture?
Make sure start with a warm up of at least 5 minutes, a cool down and stretch.
Start where you are. If you can't do 30 minutes, do 5 or 10 or whatever you can do.
To progress, add a few minutes to each workout until you can go continuously for 30 minutes
I know you know this but if I don't say it, I'll get a zillion emails--cardio isn't the only thing you should be doing. You should also be strength training, but that's a whole other article that you can read at your leisure.



*Part 7: Cardio for Weight Loss and Weight Gain

Weight Loss and Cardio

Here are some weight loss facts:

Weight loss happens when you eat less calories than you burn
How much weight you lose depends on how big that calorie deficit is (and you shouldn't go below your BMR)
The most effective way to permanently lose weight is to combine cardio, strength training and a health diet. Period.
It takes TIME (say it with me: T-I-M-E) to lose weight. How much time? I don't know. No one knows, not even you. If you eat less calories than you burn, you're on the right track.
The more weight you lose, the slower your weight loss will become. Ironic, isn't it?
The older you get, the longer it takes to lose weight. But you're smarter than you used to be AND more patient.
No amount of cardio will get rid of certain 'icky' places on your body. You can't choose where you lose the weight. You just CAN'T. Saying mean things to your thighs or belly doesn't help. Stop doing it.
If you don't eat enough, you won't lose weight.
The better you get at an activity, the less energy you'll expend doing it. It's a good idea to try new things to avoid this and to avoid overuse injuries.
Bottom line, cardio will help you lose weight, but is most effective when combined with strength training and a healthy, low-calorie diet. Sorry that whole 'magical weight loss solution' didn't work out for ya.

Weight Gain and Cardio

If you want to gain muscle, you still need cardio. Cardio exercise doesn't exist just to help people lose weight--it promotes health and well-being. If you're trying to gain massive amounts of muscle, you won't need tons of cardio, but doing at least three 20-minute sessions a week won't hurt your goals.



*Part 8: Overtraining

Overtraining

Now, some of you may not be doing enough cardio but there are some of you (and you know who you are) who are doing too much. Overtraining is a bad thing and if you're doing it to yourself, you'll have trouble reaching any of your fitness goals.

Warning Signs You're Doing Too Much

You wake up in the morning, look at your running shoes and break out in hives at the thought of exercising
Everything hurts. You want to stay in bed and die
Your resting heart rate is higher than usual
Your workouts stink
You feel tired all the time
You can't keep up with your usual routine
You can't sleep
Everything suddenly seems to suck
What To Do If You're Overtraining

Stop.
Give yourself at least a few days of rest and then ease back into a light program
Try something different. Right about now, you'd probably enjoy something that feels good. Try some yoga.
Get a massage
Stop and smell the roses while you concentrate on something else for a few days.
Take a vacation (I highly recommend some place near the equator)




www.exercise.about.com

"The Little Princess of Biatch Land" (says spookie)