Well, cardio is defined as: cardiovascular exercise. DUH!
The answer to this is pretty simple. We need cardio to loose fat! If your body goal includes increasing muscle mass, definition, and overall body tone, then cardio is the way to go. One important thing to remember is that we all have muscles. Those muscles are just hiding, usually under fat.
Now, cardio is not the only way to loose fat. You can also cut back on calories, and begin some resistance training. A combination of these two things will help you to reduce fat. Now, be careful when reducing calories, because less calorie intake can also result in loss of muscle mass. So, consider your cardio options ;)
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic activities require the presence of oxygen. Doing Aerobic activities, such as running, biking, swimming, etc, primarily works type I muscle fibers. These aerobic activities increase muscle endurance and capillary size, as well as help the heart muscle pump blood more efficiently.
Anaerobic Activity
Anaerobic activities do not require to presence of oxygen. These types of activities, such as weight lifting, hill climbing, jumping rope, etc., works on the type II muscle fibers. Anaerobic exercises lead to greater muscle size and increase strength.
HITT = High Intensity Interval Training = Aerobic
LISS = Low Intensity Steady State = Anaerobic
So, now that we know a little bit more about the different types of cardio, and the cool "lingo" or terms that are related to cardio exercises, we can better understand which types of workouts we need to do to reach our different body goals.
If you're not sure where to start with your own cardio exercise, you can head over to our Cardio Pinterest board to see tons of cardio workout guides and routines.
More than anything else, we here at BodyHealth want you to understand your fitness journey, and to actually enjoy it. To help you achieve this, we offer any array of all-natural vitamins and supplements, as well as informative videos on Youtube, discussing the specifics of each BodyHealth product.
As a thank you for reading this informative article, and supporting the BodyHealth mission, we have designed a really cool Cardio Poster, just for you.
This poster is downloadable, and print ready. Simply send it to your favorite printer (Walgreens, Office Depot, etc.), and have them print it as a 16" x 20" poster. You can laminate it, and use dry-erase markers on it to keep track of your daily cardio routine.
We have designed both a male, and female version.
DOWNLOAD MALE VERSION HERE NOW!
DOWNLOAD THE FEMALE VERSION HERE NOW!
Be sure to share this article with your friends, so that they can download their own poster.
The importance of having a well-functioning and healthy immune system has become increasingly obvious in recent times.
Sadly, everyone seems to have a different answer as to how you should go about strengthening your immune system. When you go to your local health and wellness shop, you might see twenty or thirty products that tout their “immune boosting” powers. An Amazon search reveals thousands of results.
Well, we’re here to tell you about an effective and ancient remedy that has been in use for over two thousand years: the red reishi mushroom.
We’ve all heard about all the negative effects of stress and the modern lifestyle.
We’re all rushing around, overworked, in a constant state of fight-or-flight and it has disastrous effects on our health.
But what if “stress” wasn’t the real problem?
What if our bodies knew exactly how to cope with the intensity of modern life… if we just gave the body what it needed to thrive?
And the key may be one little mineral.
I hope this finds you healthy and able to still get outside (or inside) for a daily run during this trying time of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of us are grieving several losses including race cancellations. Though it's a bummer, I want you to know that your hard-earned training is far from wasted.
Those miles are in your legs and all kinds of wonderful benefits have occurred including the addition of mitochondria, adding new capillary beds for increased blood flow, and strengthening the heart muscle for future training.
As athletes, it's important for us to be proactive in maintaining a strong immune system. We're not only doing this for our own prevention but also our loved ones that we spend time with.
Read on for 5 tips to consider as you seek to stay healthy.
