I heart Cardio! Endurance & Interval Training

Today I wanted to write about cardio. A lot of people hate to do it and I totally see why. I however, love it! I love when I do cardio because I truly feel myself getting closer to my goal. My heart is pounding, sweat is pouring off of me, and it is almost like I feel the calories literally falling off!

Two significant kinds of cardio training that have really helped get me closer to my goal are: Endurance Training and Interval Training. They both are awesome cardio work outs and not only do they assist in getting the fat and calories off, but they have amazing health benefits.

Endurance training exercises are generally aerobic exercises that are done at moderate intensity, which help to increase the stamina. While engaging in Endurance Training your heart rate is constant, thus will increase the metabolic rate, which in turn helps to decrease excess fat. It burns calories faster. This is one the greatest benefits that can be extremely useful for those who are overweight. Another benefit is improved blood circulation - pumping efficiency of the heart considerably improves with endurance training.

One of the best benefits in my opinion of Endurance training is the way it improves the respiratory system. It improves efficiency of the respiratory system by supplying oxygen to different working muscles of the body. Thus, when you get stronger so does the way your heart supplies. In time you will find that you can go harder and faster for longer periods of time.

Example: 45-1 hour of jogging on the Tredmill or on the Elliptical at a steady speed keeping your heartrate at a constant rate. This is about how far you go -- not how fast.

Interval training is an excellent way to burn more calories, build endurance quickly, and make workouts more interesting. Interval training involves alternating high intensity exercise with recovery periods. When I engage in Interval training, a plus is I never get bored. Your heartrate and your motions are constantly changing. Interval Training has really increased the speed I can run and the time. You will start to see that even with regular cardio you are increasing speed and intensifying your cardio exercise. This will come naturally because you are getting stronger. Also, due to the short bursts of intense activity - it really gets the endorphins flowing, which make me feel awesome when I finish.

Cardiovascular exercise has abundant medical benefits, including decreased susceptibility to heart disease. Interval training, being the most intense form of cardio, has even greater benefits over time. Furthermore, cardiovascular exercise has consistently been shown to reduce cholesterol. Lower cholesterol has many medical benefits including: lowered risk of heart disease, arthritis, and other inflammatory disorders. It strengthens your immune -- your immune system responds positively to regular strenuous exercise.

Example: 55 minutes of cardio total. 5 minute warm up, 45 minutes of the Interval Training, which will include 40 seconds of high intensity cardio (ex. sprint) followed by 60-80 seconds of lower intensity cardio (ex. walking), and repeat for 45 minutes. Proceed by 5 minutes of cool-down activity. This can be done on anything cardio machine by controlling the speed.

Cardio has played a HUGE role in my weight loss journey, especially Endurance and Interval Training. Proud to say as of yesterday, February 7th 2011 I am down 108 pounds and STILL going!

*Late 2008*


*Yesterday, 02/07/2011 - down 108! Whoo!*