Cardiovascular Exercise

[MsBiatch]

Cardio exercise is important for a healthy heart and weight loss.

How to Begin

Choose an activity that you enjoy. The best exercise for you is the one you'll actually do! Walking is a great place to start since it doesn't require special equipment and you can do it anywhere
Start with 2 or 3 days of your chosen activity with a rest day between workouts.
Begin with a 5-10 minute warm up of light cardio and stretch the muscles you'll use during your workout
Increase your pace and intensity to slightly harder than comfortable and exercise as long as you can. Begin where you ARE, not where you want to be. You may only be able to exercise for a few minutes at a time, but that will change quickly if you're consistent.
End each workout with a 5-minute cool down of light cardio and stretch the muscles you've worked to help keep your muscles flexible and reduce your chances of injury.
Each week, increase your workout time by a few minutes until you can work continuously for 30 minutes a session.
Don't worry about distance or pace. For the first few weeks, focus on endurance and conditioning. You have plenty of time to work on your speed and distance!
After 6 or more weeks, change your routine by adding another day of exercise, increasing your pace/intensity, adding a new activity and/or increasing the amount of time you exercise
Avoid a Weight Loss Plateau

*Try a different activity every few weeks
*Vary your workouts each week by changing the intensity, the time or the frequency
*Push yourself once a week and get out of your comfort zone!
*Give your body time to recover from new workouts.

Tips for Better Workouts

Make sure you have quality shoes for your chosen activity.
Start slowly. Doing too much too soon can lead to injuries and misery.
Try new activities. Doing the same thing can lead to plateaus, boredom and injuries.
Be ready for exercise by feeding your body regularly throughout the day and by staying hydrated.
Always stretch both after you warm up and after your workout!
If you're sore or tired, give yourself extra recovery days if needed.
Activity Calculator
Workout Center.

How Hard Should You Work?

When doing cardio, you should be within your target heart rate (THR) zone. This target heart rate calculator helps you determine your THR or keep track of how you feel with a perceived exertion chart. Always be aware of how you feel when you exercise. If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately and rest or call your doctor. If you're not breaking a sweat, speed it up!

Variety will keep your body and your mind challenged, so after the initial conditioning period (about 6 weeks of consistent workouts), vary your workout intensity and time. Each week, do a long, slow workout--45-60 minutes at the lower end of your THR and one short one--20-30 minutes at the higher end of your THR. Your other workouts can be between 30-45 minutes, in the middle of your THR.

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