Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular Exercise helps reduce the risk of heart disease

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Cardiovascular exercise has received a lot of attention over the years as the centrepiece (very wrong) of physical fitness, weight management, and cardio respiratory (heart and lung) health. The terms cardiovascular exercise, cardio respiratory fitness and aerobic exercise are all synonymous. This kind of exercise requires large muscle movement over a sustained period of time, elevating your heart rate to at least 50% of maximum level. (up to here on newsletter, then click to rest of article on newspage) Examples include walking, jogging, biking, swimming, rowing and any other repetitious activity that can be performed over an extended period of time.

Cardiovascular exercise has numerous benefits. They include a decreased blood pressure, increased HDL (good) cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins responsible for removing LDL (bad) cholesterol from the cells in the arteries and transporting it back to the liver for removal from the body), decreased LDL cholesterol, decreased body fat, decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (this increases capillary density and blood flow to active muscles), increased heart and lung function and efficiency, and decreased anxiety, tension, and depression.

All of these benefits combine to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing risk factors like obesity, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol. In addition, cardiovascular exercise serves as a foundation for the activities of daily living, sports, and other outdoor activities. Activities such as tennis, golf, skiing, dancing, basketball, volleyball, boxing, hiking, and strength training programs all benefit from cardiovascular exercise. Your enjoyment of day-to-day and physical activities will also greatly benefit because you will have more stamina, less fatigue and less risk of injury.

The only problem with cardiovascular exercise is if you make it the King and Queen of your exercise regime. A common misconception is that only cardiovascular work burns calories and therefore fat. This is true only to the point that your muscles create the energy appetite and body fat is the chosen source of food of this programme. Therefore the more LEAN MUSCLE that you have the more calories that you burn whether on a bike, stepper, treadmill or rower. If you do not balance your workout with Resistance (muscle) work, Cardiovascular work and Flexibility you will have an unbalanced body and an unbalanced workout. Click to order the fitness programme