Cardio (cardiovascular exercise) is one of those things that you either hate it or your love it. A quick definition of cardio is any exercise which raises your heart rate and increases your blood circulation. For myself, I love doing cardio. It is as fun for me as lifting weights. But for many people, they just can't stand doing it. The big reason most people do cardio is to burn calories in order to shed the pounds. However, there are numerous benefits to performing cardio that we should keep in mind - particularly if you are not a fan of cardio.
Stronger Heart
First off, cardio helps to improve your heart health. The heart is a muscle and cardio is the way to work it out. Many people cannot run 1 mile let alone climb a set of stairs without being short of breath. Performing cardio on a regular basis will strengthen your heart, thus making it easier to do simple tasks such as climbing stairs without becoming winded.
Cardio Makes You Feel Good
I've felt the "runner's high" before after a good run. Cardiovascular exercise releases hormones that make you feel good. This is one of the reasons that exercise is such a great stress reliever. Not only that, but I feel energized for the rest of the day after a good cardio session.
Increased Metabolism and Weight Loss
Cardio is a great way to lose weight and keep it off. Regular cardio will increase your metabolism making it possible to lose weight or maintain a healthy one. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a good way to achieve this.
Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
Heart disease risk increases with being overweight, smoking, high-cholesterol, and lack of exercise. Heart disease can affect adults of all ages and getting in a few cardio sessions per week can help reduce the risk.
How much cardio a person should do varies from who you get your advice from. Some experts recommend 20 minutes at about 3 - 4 times per week while others say 30 - 45 minutes at 3 - 5 times per week. I think doing at least 20 minutes a few times per week is an excellent start.
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I lurve my cardio.
For many people trying to build muscle and put on mass, cardio is often neglected. But it shouldn’t be…it’s a very important part of your routine and offers several benefits like those listed above.
oh andrew, Im working to be you.
I LOVELOVELOVE my weights.
I do my cardio.
Hehe i love my cardio, at least for me it’s fun. And it’s fun becouse i don’t do it alone, I give people tips that they should do it with friends more fun, and time realy fly.
Great list. I find that cardio gets boring if you are doing it at a low intensity for long periods. However, by really pushing up the intensity and exercising to your limit I find cardio gets a lot more interesting. I personally find that setting yourself targets (e.g. run x km in x minutes) and then trying to improve upon these targets also adds a fun element to cardio workouts.
Climbing the stairs without becoming winded, now there’s a goal :
I love my cardio, but unfortunately I love my couch just a little bit more, haha.
You are right about cardio getting you metabolism up. I lost a ton of weight by walking everynight (over 200 lbs) and watching my diet. I got lazy on the walking and have put about 40 lbs back on. I am starting to walk again.
Cardio is great, for a lot of people it’s difficult.
HIIT is fantastic and you can do it in less than 20 minutes.
From my experience it is the best way to get your body burning calories and losing body fat.
That is really a great post, nicely outlining the basic benefits of cardio. I respect your dedication to health and fitness. I try to do the same on my blog.
Nice post! Doing a cardio workout in the morning is great! Taking a cup of coffee without using my my breakfast. At this way I’m burning fat right in the first minute. Works perfect for me, and I’m sure for many others.
Yes, you can try everything else, but you will come back to the fact that exercise is a must. Sorry couch potatoes, no short cuts.
I love cardio, it’s just such a great way to get exercise and it makes such a surprising and positive difference to my life.
Can really relate to the “runner’s high” you have felt, there is such an exhilarating feeling after a session on the treadmill. Not only does it make me feel good, it also helps with stress levels, allowing me to take my mind off of things.
Great post, more people need to do cardio!
I appreciate for this great post. I love cardio. Most of the people are involved in shedding their excess pounds but heart is important as well. Swimming is good one for people who are searching for a change in their daily running or walking…
Keep Motivated.. Stay healthy..
As an weight training obsessive, treadmills and steppers bore me, and hence cardio never was a priority. However, I have since learned that taking cardio to the streets has not only improved my body fat levels, it has made it far more enjoyable.
I love Cardio, At one point i was doing cardio 7 days a week 60min on the treadmill then sixty minutes on the steppers. Recently i changed my routine i alternate my cardio and lifting daily, However would it be wise to do full cardio for a week and just bollock the weight lifting?
Enjoyed your post. I have used a quote from this post on my blog with a link to your blog. The post will appear on Monday the 30th. If you have any objection let me know and I will remove it. Thanks
I admit Im not a great fan of extended cardio workouts. 10 or 15 minutes of running does it for me. I think some people just aren’t “made” for it – or perhaps that is all just mental?
I admire you guys who can do 60 minutes or more of cardio in one hit – wish I could!
– Jan