How to Make the Most Out of Your Cardio Workouts

Cardio Vascular exercise is an activity that involves light, moderate, or high intensity activities that should increase your heart rate.

There are many different ways to perform a cardio routine. Whether through conventional manners; treadmill, bike, cross trainer and our favourite the versa climber which is in our opinion one of the best and hardest cardio machines. There are also crazy cardio workouts and circuit training. You can perform these cardio routines by two of the most common types; high intensity interval workouts and steady workouts.

High intensity interval training is great for weight loss while steady workouts are ideal for maintaining your wellbeing.

It is better to incorporate both types of training in your routine, I would suggest 2 days a week of high intensity and 1 day a week of steady. I am sure there are many body builders or people who perform a lot of resistance training to increase lean tissue do not like to do cardio due to their concern of muscle loss. However cardio is an essential part of training and assists losing excess body fat or "to be lean", so many people cut out carboyhdrates to create the "lean look" that they are all seeking but this is not healthy and can cause long term problems, there have been studies to show that diet can have a great impact on your skin and if you do not eat enough carboyhdrates or good fats, your skin and overall health will be at risk. In our opinion the most healthiest way to maintain a "lean look" would be to engage in steady state cardio and not high intensity, where you can maintain your muscle mass while reducing excess body fat.

Here is a quick summary of what the two different types of training entail;

Interval Training: Bursts of high energy training which are then followed by periods of recovery.

Steady Training: Exercise that is performed at a slow and continuous rate where energy demands remain consistent

Top ten benefits of Cardio Vascular Exercise
Ideal for Weight loss
Boosts your immune system
Reduces ones stress
Creates Stronger and healthier heart and lungs
Great for your bones and will increase bone density
Reduces the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer
Provides temporary relief from depression and anxiety
It will release endorphins which makes you feel great after the workout
Allows you to sleep better
Will give you more energy

Another important factor in getting the most out of your cardio routine is to ensure that you are working at your target heart rate.

Target heart rate can be obtained from your Gym or personal trainer. You can also obtain it from the My Zenergy website by signing up.

So do not forget to include cardio in your exercise routine!

More Resources

Spinning Exercise
Spinning exercise or studio cycling is not only popular these days it's an excellent form of fitness. It helps strengthen your heart, tone your glutes, calves, thighs in addition to being a great exercise to slim legs.

Treadmill Workout Ideas That Make Fitness Fun
Research shows that in order to lose weight safely and keep it off, you need to exercise. And even those who are not overweight benefit from an exercise or workout routine.

A Cardio Snobs Workout
As I peruse the pages of various holiday issues of my favorite fitness/womens magazines I notice many articles about the benefits of practicing yoga at this stressful time of year. At the risk of sounding like a cardio snob, if I have 30 minutes a day (if I'm lucky) and i have to get into a special outfit in about a month and a half.

Fat Burning Exercises
Fat burning exercises are the slow, aerobic, long duration types of exercise that involve most of the major muscle groups. Your body will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat with lower intensity cardio exercises.

5 Tips for Starting Runners
So you've decided to take up running? Maybe you are starting back up after putting it off for years. Here is a list of tips that I have found beneficial to the starting runner or even the seasoned pro.

Using Nutrition to Boost Your Cardio
So, you're doing cardio religiously and you're not getting any results?What's the deal?! Good news. You're probably just making some minor mistakes that need to be corrected.

Playing Your Cardio Right
To many, that half-hour a day is the most enjoyable, most therapeutic part of your agenda. To others, it's as dreadful as taking out the trash and doing the dishes.

Run for Your Life
Running is an ideal symmetrical activity for keeping fit. However, it is common for people to blame running for injuries rather than accept that it may be how they run that is at fault.

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
The real benefits of aerobic exercise are achieved by increasing your heart rate and breathing hard for an extended period of time. During this aerobic activity your body produces more energy and delivers more oxygen to your muscles.

Are You Making This Cardio Mistake?
Are you exercising for long periods of time to try to burn fat? If you're like most people you probably are, but there is a better way. It's called "high intensity interval training" (HIIT) and lately it has started to become pretty famous for its obvious health benefits.

Stay in Shape - Cycling Workouts For the Winter Months
It's that time of year. The time when you decide it's fine to ride in 12 degree weather.

Chronic Headaches And Pain Often Can Be Eliminated By A Special Dentist
Denver, Colorado/Las Vegas, Nevada-Sometimes as Freud once said, "A good cigar is just a smoke." A headache, on the other hand, occasionally can be a sign of something much more serious than just a headache.

An Alternate Fitness Tool
Any competitive or recreational athlete will use a variety of cross-training methods or tools to complement their particular sport or to meet their fitness needs. One such tool that is becoming increasing popular is the Kickbike.

Aerobic Cross Training for Weight Loss
Do you sometimes get bored with your aerobic exercise? Do You sometimesfeel like you're not getting the resultsyou should from your aerobic exercise?If so, then aerobic cross-training isfor you.Aerobic cross-training refers to usingtwo to three different types of aerobicexercise during an exercise session.

The Best Cardio Workouts
The benefits of exercise are abundant and well documented, and the best cardio workouts can increase your quality of life. One can hardly read a magazine or watch the news without stumbling across a study or doctor claiming a new benefit from exercise.

Elliptical Workouts
Elliptical workouts basically involve aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. Elliptical cross trainers can be intimidating at first glance but once you get familiar with them you will find them easy to use and a fun part of your routine.

Do You Need an Expensive Padded, Cushioned, Air Bubbled, Gelled Running Shoe?
Nike Free does not think so; and neither should you. Read on to find out why this concerns every one of us, our health and a good deal of wasted money.

What Should Runners Think About?
What do you think about when you are running? Does it make a difference? Research suggests it definitely can.A survey into what runners think about when competing identified four categories.

Running on Empty
A sexy pair of legs moseys its way down a soft, vacuumed carpet, around a bend, and through a long, narrow aisle.Suddenly, these shapely stems, which are encased in bright spandex, dissolve into a jungle of many others, instantly blending into the vibrant surroundings like chameleons.

Walking for Your Health
Walking is the easiest way of exercise because it is accessible at anyplace, anywhere and anytime. Several studies show that walking can:* reduce high cholesterol and improve blood lipid profile* reduce body fat* enhance mental well being* increase bone density, hence helping to prevent osteoporosis* reduce the risk of cancer of the colon* reduce the risk of non insulin dependant diabetes* help to control body weight* help osteoarthritis* help flexibility and co-ordination hence reducing the risk of fallsAlthough walking can reduce body fat for weight loss purpose, it is actually not an effective option of exercise, because it doesn't burn lots of calories and only bring small increase in metabolism.

More Aerobics/Cardio Information:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

How To Jump Rope For Health and Fitness
Rope skipping is an excellent cardiovascular exerciseaccording to the U.S.

Cardio-Boxing for Super Fitness
The major benefits of cardio-boxing include:• Increased Stamina• Increased Strength• Increased Speed • Increased CoordinationCardio-boxing also promotes a person's well being by strengthening their self-discipline and combined with strength training it's well and truly the total package for self-defence and fitness and usually consists of:• Adjusted heart rate work • Actual boxing techniquesThe usual workout consists of the age-adjusted heart rate work starting with 10 minutes for beginners and leading up to 20 minutes for the more advanced. For the second part of the workout, you'll need to perform and practice 20 minutes of actual boxing techniques.

Spinning Classes - Indoor Stationery Bicycle
Over the years I have changed my exercise routine continuously. That wasn't exactly planned, but it probably kept my interest up.

Aerobic Training
How to start your aerobic training program:Consider first setting your goals for sometime in the future; make sure they are realistic. Start easy, be kind to yourself.

Cardio Enthusiasts: Discover a More Effective Training Method for Fat Loss and Heart Health!
It is common to hear fitness professionals and medical doctors prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations constitute something along the lines of "perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level".

Integrated Training for Improved Cycling Performance - Part 1
As we all know cycling is a great way to improve your overall cardiovascular fitness. However, what you may not know is that over time the demands of cycling can lead to muscular imbalances which can limit the body's ability to perform at peak level and dramatically increase chance of both over-use injury and chronic pain.

Aerobic Activity Burns Fat
Aerobic activity is any exercise that helps you use oxygen more efficiently. It gets your heart pumping faster, makes you sweat and quickens your breath.

Too Much Water Can Kill
Long distance runners and other endurance athletes have long been educated to believe that drinking lots of fluids during a long distance or endurance event was critical. And if you didn't drink enough water, you ran the risk of dehydration.

Playing Your Cardio Right
To many, that half-hour a day is the most enjoyable, most therapeutic part of your agenda. To others, it's as dreadful as taking out the trash and doing the dishes.

Heart Matters
Your heart is between one to two times the size of your clenched fist. Contrary to popular belief, it is not located to one side of the body - it is located almost in the exact center of your chest.