Your guide to cardio exercises

The word cardio reminds us of one thing – the heart. We have been associating cardio to workouts that help with burning a lot of calories and losing weight.

BENGALURU: The word cardio reminds us of one thing – the heart. We have been associating cardio to workouts that help with burning a lot of calories and losing weight. Let us first understand what cardio is a-nd why we need it. The heart is also a muscle, so we need to strengthen it. Cardio strengthens the heart and makes it more efficient to pump blood. It also improves lung functionality.

Today more than ever, cardiovascular activity is important due to increased health risks coming from sedentary lifestyle, smoking, cholesterol and diabetes. Back in the day, movement was done well through the day. If we just look at how our grandparents or maybe even our parents lived, it’s so clear that walking often and being more functional allowed them to stay healthy, fit and age gracefully.

But our modern lifestyles do not allow us to stay so active and hence a huge need to incorporate cardiovascular training in particular. It helps:
●    Keep your heart healthy
●    Improve your lung capacity
●    Aid fat loss
●    Build immunity, metabolism
●    Reduce hormonal imbalance
●    Enhance mood and reduces stress
●    Prevent or manage high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes

Different types of cardiovascular training:
●    Walking (brisk), jogging, running
●    Cycling
●    Swimming
●    Dancing
●    Boxing
●    HIIT
●    Rowing
●    Stair Climbing

Where to start
Start slow. Every exercise or workout programme can be scaled. There is low intensity walking, medium intensity, brisk walking, dancing, rowing, cycling and one can make this high intensity or pick boxing or HIIT. We can also do interval training, high and low intensity training.
Cardio training can be done 3 to 4 times a week. You do not need to do it every day or even 5 to 6 times a week. Alternating it with strength/weight training will provide best results. However, one form of low intensity cardio that your body deserves, must be incorporated daily, and that is walking. This is very important for just to allow smooth blood circulation, reduce stiffness of muscles and enable the joints to be functional as they are designed.

Ensure this process is followed in workout:
● Warm up: Before each session, warm up for about 10 minutes to gradually increase the heart rate and increase blood flow to the muscles. Try a low-intensity version of your planned activity. For example, if you plan to take a brisk walk, warm up by walking slowly.
● Conditioning/workout: At your own pace, get in at least 30 to 45 minutes of cardio, three to four times a week to develop your aerobic capacity by increasing your heart rate, depth of breathing and muscle endurance.
● Cool-down: After each session, cool down for about 10 minutes. This after-workout stretch allows your heart rate and muscles to return to normal. Stretch deeply all the muscles that have been worked in your workout. If you did brisk walking, then stretching the calf muscle, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes is most important.

(The author is a fitness expert with Cure.fit)

Sample workouts
Do between 3 and 5 rounds,
of 8 to 15 repetitions of each movement or 8 to 10 per side. Rest period between movement or rounds can be 20 to 60 seconds.

Workout 1
Jumping Jacks
Squats
Speed Punches
Quick Feet
Plank Hold

Workout 2
Jumping Ts
Lunges
Skier/Wood Chop
High Knees
Side Plank Hold

Workout 3
Spot Jog
Lateral High Knees
Skipping 
(with or without rope)
Squat Kicks
Plank Hold (advanced - plank shoulder tap)

Shwetambari Shetty