FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH, DO CARDIO!
Dateline: 09/01/97
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For Optimal Health, Do Cardio!
Cardio or cardiorespiratory work involves the heart and/or circulatory system and it's ability to transport blood and other nutrients to tissues during exercise and the lungs capacity to provide oxygen to the blood. This is essential for our health and should be a part of everybody's weekly exercise routine. I am giving you plenty of examples on how to work and strengthen your cardiorespiratory system safely and effectively and the many benefits attained. Always remember that something is better than nothing. Walk to the store instead of drive. Take your baby for a walk with a stroller. Take your kids to the park and play. Walk your dog longer and more frequently.
CARDIORESPIRATORY EXERCISE COMPONENTS
Warm up
5 to 10 minutes of
low-intensity aerobic movement should be performed before starting your activity.
Examples would be walking, treadmill, stairmaster, light jogging or jogging in place,
light jump roping, rowing machine, stationary cycling, etc. Benefits of warming up
include: increase in muscle temperature, facilitation of nervous system activity, improved
blood flow. All of these benefits work towards a decrease of injury.
Cardiorespiratory Activity
Mode of Exercise
There are many
different types of exercise you can do to work your cardiorespiratory system. You
should choose one that you enjoy. Examples are walking, jogging, running,
treadmill, stairmaster, bicycling, stationary bicycling, rowing machine, swimming, jump
rope, basketball, racquetball, handball, and tennis. Any form of activity that has
many periods of inactivity such as baseball would not be optimal choices. If you
enjoy baseball or bowling, this is great. The point is not to rely on these
activities as your only source of cardio work. For those of you who like to kill two
birds with one stone, try circuit training. Circuit
training combines cardio and weight training into one workout.
Frequency of Exercise
Three to five days
per week should be how many times you do cardio. (This reccomendation is for people
who are looking to push themselves. If you are just walking, 5-6 days is no problem.
7 days would be fine, but I think you still need a break.) Three times a week
is optimal for maintenance. Four to five days a week is optimal for
advancement. If you are just starting out, try three days and gradually work up to
five days. Lower intensity sessions need only warrant a days rest in between
sessions. Higher intensity sessions may warrant two days of rest to facilitate
optimal recovery. Training more than five days could lead to over training and
injury. For your days off, try something different like a sport. If you only have 30 minutes a day to exercise, and you want to just
walk, that is great. Do it.
Duration of Exercise
The length of your
activity depends on your fitness level. As a general rule, try and perform 20-30
minutes of continuous movement. Unfit or sedentary people may receive benefits from
just taking a ten minute walk. If you feel lightheaded or faint, stop the exercise
immediately. Studies have also shown that workouts at different times have a great
health impact when totaled together. For example, you could park your car ten to
fifteen minutes from work and walk, walk ten to fifteen minutes on a break or lunch, and
take a short walk later in the evening.
Intensity of Exercise
Intensity refers to
how fast or how hard you are exercising. To increase your intensity, you can either
speed up the pace or increase the resistance. Examples increasing the resistance
include hand-held weights, incline on treadmill, and running on hills. As a general
rule, you should be training at 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate reserve using
the Karvonen Formula or commonly known as your target heart rate range. Unfit or
sedentary people may even receive benefits exercising below fifty percent of their heart
rate reserve. It all depends on your fitness level. You should always consult
your physician before starting an exercise program. The Karvonen formula is the
preferred method of calculating target heart rate range because it takes in to
consideration the resting heart rate. If you used the method of just taking 220 -
age, the accuracy would vary between people of the same age with different
lifestyles. Do you think that a twenty year old tennis player should train the same
as a twenty year old housewife that stays home with the kids? To find your
target heart rate range using the Karvonen formula take 220 minus your age, subtract that
number from your resting heart rate, multiply that number by the percentage you want to
exercise at, and then add your resting heart rate again. To find your resting heart
rate, upon waking up, take your pulse for sixty seconds on four consecutive days.
For a more exercise-specific resting heart rate, take your pulse for sixty seconds right
before the time you usually workout. Here is an example of using the Karvonen
formula: A thirty year
old man with a resting heart rate (rhr) of 68 who wants to exercise at 65 percent of his
maximum heart rate reserve.
220 - 30 (age) = 190 (maximum heart rate)
190 (mhr) - 68
(rhr) = 122 (heart rate reserve)
122 (hrr) x .65
(%) = 79.3
79.3 + 68 (rhr) = 147 (bpm - beats per
minute)
(target heart rate)
To exercise at 65 to 75 percent of your heart rate reserve, do the same formula with .75 instead of .65 This man would need to exercise at 147 - 160 beats per minute which would be his target heart rate range.
Taking Your Pulse
To monitor your heart rate other than for a full sixty seconds, take your pulse for ten seconds and multiply that number by ten. You can take your pulse at your wrist or neck, but your wrist is the optimal site. Blood pressure medication and other drugs interfere with heart rate monitoring. If you have trouble taking your pulse, remember that you should always be able to talk, and you should never be out of breath. Only competitive athletes and advanced exercisers should try and push their limits. It is unsafe for anybody else to do this. Always being able to speak clearly is called the Talk-Test method. If you are out of breath or unable to have a normal conversation, you are probably exercising too hard. You should either slow down or decrease your resistance and/or speed.
Cool Down
You have had a great
work out. Your muscles are tight and tense. You are really tired! What
you need to do now is relax those muscles. Benefits of cooling down include:
prevention of blood pooling and rapid drop of blood pressure, reduction of cramping, and
reduction in muscle soreness and fatigue. You should never stop abruptly after doing
cardiorespiratory exercise. Always lower intensity and let your body cool down for a
few minutes. Slow, static stretching should follow this. Read more on post-workout stretching.
Benefits of Cardiorespiratory Exercise
Some of the benefits associated with this type of exercise are: reduction in blood pressure, increased HDL cholesterol, decreased total cholesterol, decreased body fat stores, increased aerobic work capacity, decreased clinical symptoms of anxiety, tension, and depression, reduction in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, increased heart function, possible reduction in mortality in post myocardial infarction patients, decreased resting heart rate, increased heart volume, increased resting and maximum stroke volume, increased maximum cardiac output, increased maximum oxygen consumption, increased capillary density and blood flow to active muscles, increased total blood volume, increased maximal ventilation, increased lung diffusion capacity, and increased mobilization of fat! Sources: McArdle, et al. 1986; Brown, 1990; and Froelicher, 1990.
As you can see, it is very important to do "cardio". You will be a healthier person if you make it your goal to include cardio work during the week. Good luck as you strive for optimal health.
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