Cardiovascular Exercise – Cardio Workouts Facts and Tips

Cardiovascular Exercise 30 minutes, 3 – 4 times each week, right? Sure if you have the time, but what else can you do for cardiovascular benefit? Read on and learn!

Be realistic! If you can’t make it to the gym 3 times a week for 40 minutes, then don’t…and don’t expect yourself to. This time commitment is unrealistic for most people these days. Instead, shoot for 2 times each week. Then if you make it on day 3, give yourself a big pat on the back, and instead of enduring the agony of a long workout on the bike, stairmaster or treadmill, do something FUN – something you like! For example take a dance, hip-hop, or step class. Or you can do a HIT workout (see below) for your cardio and then you’ll have more time for other types of exercise. Remember, you are only setting yourself up for failure when you make unrealistic expectations of yourself. AND when you do not meet your desired goal, you’ll have more reason to be disappointed in yourself. So don’t do it!

HIT (High Intensity Workouts) No more stairmaster for 60 minutes on level 3. Check this out: try level 10 for 5 minutes! I’ll bet you sweat and sweat! AND the cardiovascular benefits are just as great as a 60-minute workout. No, we’re not lying. So, next time you are in a hurry and don’t think you have time for a quickie, think again – all you need is 10 minutes to get that heart going. What other high intensity workouts can you do? How about run as fast as you can down the street? Add an HIT once each week. Your heart will become incredibly strong – meaning it will become more efficient at pumping the blood around your body.

Add it up! ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living) count when you are talking about your total exercise for the day. This means that if you have a busy day, and no time for formal exercise, you can still be active. Let’s say you take the stairs for 5 minutes, you park the car near the back of the lot at the store (5 minutes of walking) and you walk briskly down the street to get to a meeting (10 minutes), you have successfully completed 20 minutes of activity today! So, be proud of yourself! So instead of calling yourself a couch potato, commend yourself for the amount of movement you did.

What else counts as cardiovascular exercise? We all know about biking, stairmaster, running, rollerblading and elliptical machines. What we don’t realize is that swimming can be a cardiovascular workout. As can yoga (especially power yoga), IM=X and pilates (if done at a continual pace), fast walking – even in your work clothing. What else counts? How about the rapid heart rate you get from rock climbing, surfing, or playing sand volleyball?

Know your heart zone.

Maximum Heart Rate = 220-age.

This is the number science says you should stay below. However, the more fit you are, the more likely you are to feel okay when working above this number. The downside: you’ll burn out pretty quickly – , so you won’t be able to maintain this level for long. Aim for reaching this number during a HIT workout.

85% x MHR = for advanced exercisers and truly fit people. Most people will not be able to maintain this level for longer than a few minutes. However, you can plan to reach this number during the middle of your workout, say for 3 – 5 minutes, or in interval training. The benefits include strengthening your heart as well as burning lots of calories!

60% – 80% x MHR = TARGET TRAINING ZONE FOR MOST PEOPLE (except beginners, pregnant/nursing women and those over 55 years). Calculate these numbers and memorize them. This way, during your workout you can see where you fall in your training range. Compare the numbers across different exercises, compare them to the talk test and to how you feel at different numbers (60%, 70%, 80%) and compare the heart rate you achieve on different days. This way, you can determine if you are working hard enough or too hard. For example, let’s say you were just in bed with an illness for a week. You could be huffing and puffing at level 2 on the stairmaster, when you usually work at level 8. Check your heart rate. You may find that you are working at 80% MHR at level 2 on this given day. Why? Your body is still weak from the illness. What to do? Do not push it any harder. Do not be mad at yourself. Just workout at level 2 for today. You can try again tomorrow or the next day on level 3 or 4. You’ll be back up to your usual level within 2 weeks.

40% – 60% x MHR = for beginners, some pregnant/nursing women, those over the age of 55 and those with doctor’s orders to stay at a low intensity. You can also work at this level for a long duration any time you like, to receive the benefits of endurance. A LIT (Low Intensity) workout is one that most trained individuals can maintain for a longer duration, like 45 – 60 minutes. It is good to do a LIT workout if you are an athlete in an endurance type of sport. Everyone will benefit from a LIT workout from time to time, but more fit individuals may become bored and need more of a challenge. All beginners should stay toward the low end of this range during their first month of their exercise program, as should those over age 55, unless given medical clearance to begin at a higher heart rate.

For those at risk of or with diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease, please use caution with exercise. Listen to your doctor, personal trainer and your body. Do not push yourself too hard. Start at 40% MHR and work your way up over a period of time.