How Much Cardio Should I Do?
Your Transport Group
Cardio exercises, as the name itself implies, are exercises done for a purpose of developing our https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_system#Human_cardiovascular_system. For better understanding, it is our so called “ transport” system. It is responsible for delivering what our cells need to function. It delivers oxygen, hormones , nutrients and just about anything specific to what is needed by our cell to do its function as well.
We all know that clog roads , often leads to traffic and translates to waste. The same concept can viewed with our cardiovascular system. A clog in our body’s transport system translates to a waste in nutrients and is also very harmful. Take for example, a road accident where every second counts that will determine whether an individual will die or not. In that instance , a road traffic is literally deadly to that individual. A clog in our cardiovascular system may cause heart attack or stroke that can lead to paralysis or death among others.
Taking good care of our so called transportation system is very important because every cell in our body needs it to do their own job. Just like in our day to day life , when transportation is hampered , productivity becomes hampered as well. No one is happy with dysfunctional roads.
Meet the heros of our transportation group, we have the very hard working with no time for rest heart. We also have arteries , blood and our part timer for the job which is our lungs. We need to understand that we can not take care of one and ignore the other. Every job is as important as the other . Cardio vascular exercises are exercises that will target our transport group.
Let us understand the every human body even in identical twins is unique. With that being said , what can be too much for one, maybe just right for the other. First , you have to know your purpose of enhancing your cardiovascular system. It maybe that you just want to do your body good and be able to carry light everyday task. It maybe that you are planning to join a sport that requires your maid transport system to be faster in its deliveries. You need to be very specific about it as a long distance runner needs to have a different route than a sprint runner.
When you know the purpose of it , you may want to do an assessment of your current physical condition. You may want to check your family history and lifestyle. None the less, starting from minimum , light , less impact exercises will be a good idea. You can look at it like running a road test and unless otherwise there are constraints , walking will be the best starting point. Take time to walk at a comfortable pace and check how far or how long you can go.
So, when you already know your purpose for doing it and you’re done with your most honest self evaluation , it’s time to seek professional help. Go ahead and schedule an appointment with your doctor , this is also for you to have a basis of comparison and actually know the progress that you are making .
You may also want to ask for a program from your local instructor and most of gym instructors will provide direct supervision while you are executing the exercise. That is important, so you are making maximum progress with least time and avoid injuries that may have irreversible damage to your body. If you intend to join a sport though, you can ask help from coaches as it will depend on the demand of a specific sport. Most coaches will have a program ready and can supervise or track your progress as well.