The Benefits of Adding Cardio to Your Workout
Cardio should be part of your daily workout. When you are just starting your fitness journey, cardio is one of the first words you will come across, however, you will also realize that many people don’t add it in their fitness routine. The reasons for not adding cardio to an exercise program may vary from one person to another.
There is still a good number of fitness enthusiasts who don’t realize the benefits of adding cardio to their daily workout. Well, you should know that cardio is an essential aspect of any workout. Whatever inspired you to start an exercise program, cardio exercises should be include in the plan.
Cardio exercise can be defined as any activity that increases your heart rate. The activity is rhythmic and will help burn more calories. Cardiovascular exercise also increases blood circulation throughout the body.
There are many advantages of adding cardio to your daily workouts. In this blog, you will discover the various benefits of cardio which will be reasons enough to add cardio to your routine. Keep reading to discover more.
Benefits of adding cardio to your routine
Here are the benefits of adding cardio to your daily workouts.
Cardio increases metabolism
Cardiovascular exercise, or simply cardio positively impacts your metabolism. Metabolism is an umbrella word for all the various processes that happen in the body. Performing cardio increases the rate of those processes, therefore making it easier for you to lose weight or maintain weight.
Cardio sessions can vary depending on the intensity of the exercises. For instance, more intense cardio sessions may include an exercise such as HIIT which increases your metabolic rate.
Cardio supports heart health
Your heart health is very important and so you should do whatever it takes to keep your heart healthy, and that should include cardio. Your heart is a muscle which pumps blood, and as you know all muscles in the body should be put to work to keep them healthy and strong.
Cardiovascular exercise is one great exercise to keep your heart healthy and strong. Cardio gets your heart pumping at a faster rate throughout the session, which is great for keeping it healthy. So, you should perform cardio regularly to ensure that your heart is healthy, in shape and strong. Don’t always get stuck with simple exercises, do things that will get your heart pumping at a faster rate.
Cardio improves your recovery ability
In the fitness journey, you will need time to recover after a session in the gym, but you don’t want the recovery to take so long. You want the recovery time to be short. Well, several types of cardio exercise can help improve your recovery ability. These types of exercises involve lower, moderately paced movements such as light jog or walking on the treadmill.
This kind of exercises, when done after a hard session in the gym can help effectively remove the unwanted fatigue or simply the byproducts that developed during the hard session in the gym. This will in turn can result in the reduction of your DOMS, or delayed onset of muscle soreness. Also it promotes the flow of oxygen rich blood to the muscles thus facilitating the repair and rebuilding process of the tissues. Therefore, this means you will get back to the gym for hard sessions quicker.
If you want to build muscle, you need to strike the perfect balance between enough workouts and adequate rest to allow the muscles to repair themselves. If you happen to be skewed on either of the direction, you will not get the desired results.
Remember, you need to keep working your muscle more frequently to gain new muscle. Here cardio comes in handy.
Cardio boosts your brain health
Regular cardio training is good for your brain health as it encourages the release of endorphins, which are happy hormones. These hormones effectively provide pain and stress relief and boosts your confidence and emotional stability.
When we’re aging our brains loses tissue which can be detrimental on the brain function, but cardio training can help slow the loss and boost cognitive performance. So add cardio to your daily workout to support your brain health and feel good about yourself.
Cardio can improve your immune system
Performing cardiovascular exercise regularly improves your immune system. You will be less likely to catch colds and other viral illnesses. Cardio training promotes the release of immunoglobulins, antibodies that help improve your immune system.
Cardio lowers blood pressure
This another good reason you should add cardio to your daily workout, especially if you have blood pressure problems. Cardio training can be an effective way to control your blood pressure symptoms lowering it to the healthy level.
Cardio can help deal with depression and fatigue
Depression has become common in the today’s world and millions of people across the globe continue suffering from it. While there are prescription medications to deal with depression, cardio is a natural way to deal with this condition.
Fatigue is another condition that can take a toll in your life, lowering the quality of your life and your productivity at work. You should consider adding cardio training to your routine to deal with fatigue as well.
Cardio can help you manage diabetes
If you’re suffering from diabetes, cardio training can help you manage it. Cardio training does so by enhancing the ability of your muscles to utilize glucose, thus helping you to control your blood sugar levels. Therefore, you will not experience skewed blood sugar levels from as often as you used to before.
Cardio helps manage your weight
Cardio training is a great way to burn more calories, helping you lose weight and manage your weight as well. Adding cardiovascular training to your workout routine will result in a well-toned body with a good posture. You will be able lose weight and keep it off. At the same time, you will need to lower your calorie intake.
Cardio training can boost your mood
Having a good mood is great for you and your relationship with other people. Cardio exercise can boost your mood by releasing the happy hormones in our bodies which also help reduce the symptoms of depression.
You don’t need to perform long sessions of cardio, a short session can significantly impact your mood.
How to choose a cardio exercise
You have just discovered the benefits of adding cardio to your workout, it’s time to choose cardio exercise. A few factors should be considered, such as what aligns with your personality, what is accessible to you and what is comfortable for you.
The gym has a lot of options for you to choose from including various equipment that you might not have space for at home.
You need to choose a cardio exercise that you can tolerate when you’re just starting. Go for something that you can enjoy or even consider joining a fitness class to socialize with others and get the motivation to keep going.
It is recommended to perform cardio at least three times a week. You want an exercise that accessible and convenient for you. You might also consider having a personal trainer to keep you accountable and motivated.
Don’t perform one from of cardio exercise every other time. You need to perform other new forms to keep you challenged achieving milestones.
How long should you perform cardio workout
Once you have settled on the type of cardio exercise to do, you need to know how long you should perform it. When you’re just starting, make things simple for you and adjust as you progress in your fitness journey. So, you might want to start with simple types of cardio training.
Cardio workout, specifically for beginners should be done for at least 20 minutes and a maximum of 60 minutes for each session. You can also split your exercise into smaller bits and perform them throughout the day. That way you will still reap the benefits of cardio.
The focus of a beginner should be on building a strong cardio foundation which will make it easier for them to progress without ever thinking of giving up on it. Cardio should never be overdone. Start with simple exercises and then increase the intensity and duration as you progress to advanced levels.
Conclusion
You have discovered the benefits of adding cardio to your daily workout. Cardio training is great for your heart health, improves metabolism, boosts your immune system and improves your brain health. For those suffering from diabetes, cardio can help manage the condition. Cardio also lowers your recovery time, thus you can get to the gym quicker and workout your muscles to add more muscle.
Recent Comments