Cardio. Is it your passion, or your pain? No matter how you define it for yourself, the reality is that cardiovascular exercise should be an important component of your overall fitness plan. Here’s a number of benefits of cardio exercise, that might help you turn the idea of cardo from “pain” to “pleasure”.
Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is any type of movement that gets your heart rate up, and increases blood circulation throughout the body. Most use cardio do burn off extra calories and loose weight, as the more you move, the more your body requires fuel for energy – and once your body runs out of glyogen stored in your muscles for fuel, it turns to your fat stores for extra energy. So, the more active you are – the more calories you burn, and if you are burning more calories than you take in, the more fat you’ll burn.
The reason to do cardio does not end with fat loss though; there are a wide variety of health benefits you receive from a regular cardio program.
Benefits from Cardio
- Improved Heart Health – Your heart is a muscle just like any other muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it gets. And, if you don’t exercise your heart, it will weaken over time, leading to a variety of negative health effects. Getting your heart pumping at a faster rate on a regular basis keeps it healthy and in shape!
- It increase your overall metabolic rate – Another good reason to perform cardio is for its effects on the metabolism. Along with speeding up your heart rate, cardiovascular exercise also increases the rate of various other processes in the body, also known as your metabolism. The more intense your workout, the more your metabolic rate increases – continuing to help you burn fat or maintianing your overall weight.
- Improving your hormonal profile – Cardiovasuclar exercise can release “feel good” hormones such as “endorphins” – these can help you lessen the symptoms of depression and fatique, as well as decrease your appetite. You feel better without resorting to food to improve your mood. And, as you see your health improving, it keeps you motivated to continue your workouts!
- You’ll recover faster from your workouts – When you exercise, your body burns fuel. One of the by-products is lactic acid, which builds up in your muscles, causing additoinal soreness. By adding cardio to your workouts, your body takes in extra oxygen, helping to remove those by-products, as well as that extra oxygen-rich blood helps muscle tissues repair and rebuild faster.
And, there are additional benefits to doing your cardio workout at home on your own equiopment. We have a wide variety of cardio equipment designed to help you meet your fitness goals. To learn more about the cardio equipment we can offer for your Phoenix area home, contact Fitness 4 Home Superstore.
