Cardiovascular Exercise Basics
Cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise is extremely useful to those wishing to increase their overall health. No resistance or weights are typically applied, which means that once the basics are known almost everybody can enjoy its life-promoting benefits.
Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
Regular aerobic activity helps manage blood-sugar levels by increasing the body's ability to process glucose. This benefit alone makes it a worthy practice for diabetics.It also has weight-loss benefits; for example, a 200-pound person burns over 100 calories for every 10 minutes of jogging, and 150 calories for 10 minutes of jumping rope. 100 calories doesn't appear at first to be much, but in a month of daily exercise it adds up to the recommended caloric intake of a full day-and-a-half!
The blood is circulated during cardiovascular sessions, which can decrease post-workout soreness and rid muscles of excess lactic acid which builds up during intense training. It also speeds up the overall recovery processes of the body, and unlike weight lifting, the recovery time for aerobic activity is virtually non-existent.
Cardiovascular exercise also improves the body's profile of hormones, chemical messengers responsible for a wide-range of bodily processes. Among of effects are the release of appetite-suppressants and endorphins, the latter producing feelings of well-being and helping damper the intensity of pain.
How to Do Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise, simply defined, is any activity that increases the heart rate to 60-80% of its maximum potential. If done with vigor, having sex is cardio.Any number of bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups/jumping-jacks/squats, can be combined into circuit training routines. Cardiovascular Circuit Training, CCT, has advantages in that combining exercises works the entire body in a comparatively short period of time.
Cardiovascular Considerations
Always be safe when exercising. This means that if dizziness or nausea occur, stop. If the effects are severe, it may be wise to seek medical advice. As with all exercise routines, if the practitioner is not at peak levels they should consider consulting a physician before beginning.The muscle which will be worked, and preferably the entire body, should be properly stretched before beginning a cardiovascular routine. Doing so helps to prevent injury and makes the body more limber.
If sweating in excess is an issue, keep water handy. The body uses water in almost every process it undergoes, at the cellular level, and keeping well-hydrated helps the body stay revved up longer.
Once a certain comfort-level has been reached, it is a common practice to add weights to an aerobic routine. This is done by housewives in the way of wrist bands, and bodybuilders by way of kettlebells, alike.
0 comments: