What is Cardiovascular Exercise?

Cardio, as it is often called is also known in fitness circles as Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise comprises innumerable forms. In general, it is performed at a moderate level of intensity over a relatively long period of time. For example, running a long distance at a moderate pace is an aerobic exercise, but sprinting is not. Playing singles tennis, with near-continuous motion, is generally considered aerobic activity, while golf or two person team tennis, with brief bursts of activity punctuated by more frequent breaks, may not be predominantly aerobic. Some sports are thus inherently "aerobic", while other aerobic exercises, such as aerobic dance classes, are designed specifically to improve aerobic capacity and fitness.

Among the recognized benefits of doing regular aerobic exercise are:

• Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs

• Strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate, known as aerobic conditioning

• Strengthening muscles throughout the body

• Improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure

• Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen

• Improved mental health, including reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression

• Reducing the risk for diabetes.

As a result, aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems. In addition, high-impact aerobic activities (such as jogging or jumping rope) can stimulate bone growth, as well as reducing the risk of osteoporosis for both men and women.

In addition to the health benefits of aerobic exercise, there are numerous performance benefits:

• Increased storage of energy molecules such as fats and carbohydrates within the muscles, allowing for increased endurance

• Neovascularization of the muscle sarcomeres to increase blood flow through the muscles

• Increasing speed at which aerobic metabolism is activated within muscles, allowing a greater portion of energy for intense exercise to be generated aerobically

• Improving the ability of muscles to use fats during exercise, preserving intramuscular glycogen

• Enhancing the speed at which muscles recover from high intensity exercise

You must remember that CARDIO (or as you now know AEROBIC exercise) is not the be all and end all of your exercise regime. Cardio is only one of many aspects you must incorporate into your training. Cardio on its own, or even cardio and 'dieting' is NOT the answer to 'lose weight'. You must combine Cardio (Aerobic exercise) and Resistance training (Anaerobic exercise) with a healthy, sustainable nutrition program to achieve and maintain the results you are after.