Here are 7 common cardio myths that are full of hot air.

 

Many people firmly believe that you must first do your cardio workout before going into weight or resistance training. 

“either order is technically fine, but if you do strength training first, your workout will be much more effective overall.” The important thing to remember is that weight training expels more energy than cardio.

If you do weight training first, then your energy levels will be at peak performance for a less strenuous cardio workout afterwards.

 

Cardio workouts are often abused and misused for weight loss. You may be diligent and intentional about your cardio, but cardio alone isn’t going to help you lose weight. The food you put in your body is almost 90 per cent of the weight loss equation. It doesn’t matter how much cardio you’re doing if you’re fuelling your body with junk.

(The only exceptions to this rule are professional athletes and marathon runners.)

And while cardio workouts are important to any weight loss plan, strength training is often just as important, if not more so, as it helps build the muscles you have while you’re losing excess fat. Without strength training, you may end up losing muscle and fat at an equal rate; this lowers your metabolism, and could sabotage your weight loss efforts in the end.

 

Don’t be one of those people who jogs at a snail’s pace for an hour and calls it a day. The intensity of any cardio workout is extremely important, not just to burn more calories, but to jump higher, run faster, and get stronger. Cardio is categorized in three ways; high-intensity (maximum heart rate mhr 75-85 per cent), moderate intensity (mhr 60-70 per cent) and low intensity (mhr 50-55 per cent).  Find your target heart rate and work out according to your fitness level. Do not over exert, but make sure you are panting heavily and feeling the burn during your workouts. If you’re not at least a bit uncomfortable, you’re not working hard enough.

 

People get very caught up in the whole idea of “calories in vs. calories out.” Since it takes around 3,500 calories to burn a pound of fat, you should be burning at least 500 calories a day to net calories and lose weight, right?

naa!, not quite. First of all, everyone has a different basic metabolic rate at which they burn calories, which is due to various body compositions and size, as well as gender and age. Larger people and those who have more muscle mass  burn more calories. All things being equal, a man will burn calories at a faster rate than a woman (even if they weigh the same), simply because they have less body fat and more muscle. Additionally, as we age, muscle diminishes while fat typically increases.

Second of all, and most importantly, burn targets don’t really help anyone in the long run. Yes, burning calories is great, but is reaching a certain number of calories burned really your fitness end goal? Wouldn’t you rather get stronger and leaner, training your body to go farther distances in shorter amounts of time?

This is the true measure of whether you’re doing cardio right — how you’re progressing overall with your fitness, not net calories.

 

 

While working out on an empty stomach works for some people (especially if it’s first thing in the morning), we need energy to move. Food fuels our body for peak performance, so find a good pre-gym snack that is easy to digest. Eating one-and-a half to two hours before your workout will provide the sustaining energy you need to power you through. Hydration, of course, is just as important, so make sure you’re well hydrated.

 

While running on a treadmill is, indeed, a cardio workout, it’s hardly the only way to get your aerobic exercises in. An intense, full-body, 20-minute HIIT workout is just as effective (if not more so) at working your cardiovascular system than a static treadmill jog. Consider getting outside your run-of-the-mill treadmill comfort zone and try something new, like swimming, CrossFit training or a dance class like Zumba.

 

We all have that one friend, the cardio addict, who can’t go a day without going for a five-mile run. Cardio is an excellent and important form of exercise, but it shouldn’t be abused. Too much cardio, without proper strength training and conditioning, can result in joint pain, muscle discomfort and injury.

For a well-rounded workout routine, be sure to incorporate some strength training and possibly even stretching, like yoga, into your regimen. Runners in particular must make sure they’re building up their muscles to prevent injuries when hitting the pavement.

Improving your cardio endurance allows you to breathe easier and perform daily activies more efficiently, like carrying your groceries and climbing stairs. Remember to check with your health care professional about your fitness level and which exercises will benefit your lifestyle. A fitness coach can guide you through proper techniques and form.

 

 

 

What is considered a cardio workout?

 

Another way to think about aerobic exercise or “cardio” is that it's the type of workout where your heart rate and breathing increase, but not so much that you feel like you need to stop and rest after a short period of time. Think running, speed walking, stair climbing, cycling, and swimming, among other activities

 

 

How do I get cardio?

 

Begin slowly and progress gradually. Start out with 5-10 minutes each day. You could even do 2-3 sessions of 5-10 minutes of cardio exercise each day and slowly build up to performing 30-60 minutes, 5-7 days of the week. Choose cardio activities that you enjoy doing.

 

The most common cardiovascular exercises?

1. Brisk walking.
2. Running.
3. Jogging or jogging in place.
4. Burpees.
5. Bear crawls.
6. Swimming.
7. Water aerobics.
8. Cycling/bicycling.

1. Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
2. Strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate, known as aerobic conditioning
3. Improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure
4. Increasing pain tolerance
5. Maintains independence in later life
6. Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen
7. Improving mental health, including reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression, as well as increased cognitive capacity.
8. Slight reductions in depression may also be observed, if aerobic exercises are used as additional treatment for patients with a hematological malignancy
9. Reducing the risk for diabetes (One meta-analysis has shown, from multiple conducted studies, that aerobic exercise does help lower Hb A1C levels for type 2 diabetics.
10. Reducing the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems.
11. Reducing risk for heart disease, blood clots, and stroke
12. Lowers total cholesterol, Raises high-density lipoprotein, or "good cholesterol"
13. Promotes weight loss
14. Prevents bone loss
15. High-impact aerobic activities (such as jogging or using a skipping rope) can:
16. Stimulate bone growth, Reduce the risk of osteoporosis for both men and women

1. Overuse injuries because of repetitive, high-impact exercise such as distance running
2. Is not an effective approach to building muscle.
3. Not an effective form of fat loss, unless used consistently
4. Both the health benefits and the performance benefits, or "training effect", require that the duration and the frequency of exercise both exceed a certain minimum. Most authorities suggest at least 20minutes performed at least 3 times per week.

1. Light activity as a warm up and a cool down.
2. Endurance activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or a feeling like heartburn.
3. Drinking of liquids while exercising, unless instructed otherwise by a doctor.
4. Awareness of your surroundings when exercising outdoors.
5. Dressing in layers to allow addition or removal of clothes as needed for hot and cold weather.
6. Use of safety equipment, such as a helmet when bicycling, to prevent injuries.