Cardio is thought of by most people as the necessary evil to
achieving health and fitness. The reasons are as varied as the types of
cardio performed - "It's so boring." "It hurts." "It takes so long." I
will admit that if you do a lot of cardio it can get a bit repetitious.
But, it is necessary and so we might as well make the best of it. Go
ahead and listen to your iPods or think about other things but be
certain that in the end you track the number of calories you burned -
and, not the amount of time you spend doing cardio. Why?
Well, first off let's understand why we do cardio. Besides the other health benefits of improved cardiovascular health, and increased lung capacity we do cardio to increase our daily caloric expenditure. Remember, for the most part we have become a fairly sedentary society - we don't need to hunt for our food anymore. So, we do cardio now to take the place of the hunting we used to do. And, it's the combination of increasing the number of calories we burn and the reduction of caloric intake that produces a loss of body fat and achievement of our health and fitness goals. Thus, it is important to know how many calories you have expended so that you know whether you are on track to meeting your goals.
Remember, the number of calories burned through cardio is a function of time and intensity. So, if you know, for example, that you need to burn 300 calories at each of your cardio sessions you can adjust how long you plan to spend doing cardio and the intensity level on the cardio machine. If you don't have a lot of time then you will need to increase the intensity to compensate; or, if you feel that you can't handle a certain intensity level yet then plan to spend a little longer doing the cardio in order to burn the necessary calories.
As a side note, I want to re-emphasize the importance of tracking calories by using only those machines that calculate calories burned. Of course, I do realize the monotony in doing the same cardio all of the time and the corresponding need to change things up. If you absolutely must do cardio that does not involve the use of a machine (that tracks calories) I advise getting a calorie/heart rate monitor. There are many different kinds - some you wear around the wrist, like a watch, and others involve strapping a band around your chest - most will give you a fairly accurate readout. If you buy one and want to test it out - wear it while you use a machine you are familiar with and see if the resulting calories expended is about the same. Either way, wear the monitor while you engage in your favorite outdoor cardio and remember to track your calories.
Just remember, cardio is an integral part of the game plan in your efforts to achieving your health and fitness goals. And, it's really not that bad. So, make the most of it and be thankful that you don't have to hunt for your food anymore.
Well, first off let's understand why we do cardio. Besides the other health benefits of improved cardiovascular health, and increased lung capacity we do cardio to increase our daily caloric expenditure. Remember, for the most part we have become a fairly sedentary society - we don't need to hunt for our food anymore. So, we do cardio now to take the place of the hunting we used to do. And, it's the combination of increasing the number of calories we burn and the reduction of caloric intake that produces a loss of body fat and achievement of our health and fitness goals. Thus, it is important to know how many calories you have expended so that you know whether you are on track to meeting your goals.
Remember, the number of calories burned through cardio is a function of time and intensity. So, if you know, for example, that you need to burn 300 calories at each of your cardio sessions you can adjust how long you plan to spend doing cardio and the intensity level on the cardio machine. If you don't have a lot of time then you will need to increase the intensity to compensate; or, if you feel that you can't handle a certain intensity level yet then plan to spend a little longer doing the cardio in order to burn the necessary calories.
As a side note, I want to re-emphasize the importance of tracking calories by using only those machines that calculate calories burned. Of course, I do realize the monotony in doing the same cardio all of the time and the corresponding need to change things up. If you absolutely must do cardio that does not involve the use of a machine (that tracks calories) I advise getting a calorie/heart rate monitor. There are many different kinds - some you wear around the wrist, like a watch, and others involve strapping a band around your chest - most will give you a fairly accurate readout. If you buy one and want to test it out - wear it while you use a machine you are familiar with and see if the resulting calories expended is about the same. Either way, wear the monitor while you engage in your favorite outdoor cardio and remember to track your calories.
Just remember, cardio is an integral part of the game plan in your efforts to achieving your health and fitness goals. And, it's really not that bad. So, make the most of it and be thankful that you don't have to hunt for your food anymore.
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