Cardiovascular Exercise

Many health experts are of the view that cardiovascular fitness is one of the most important areas of physical fitness that one can partake in daily.  Three important components of cardiovascular exercise that one really needs to understand and implement are frequency, duration, and intensity. So why is cardiovascular exercise so important? Why do we need to run, bike, or attend aerobics classes when it is a given fact that lifting weights burns more calories than cardio exercises? Simply because of heart disease, one of the number one killers in our society, this can be greatly reduced by those who exercise both their heart and lungs on a regular basis with cardiovascular exercise.  This is especially true for women.

The human heart is a muscle and like any muscle, it becomes stronger with exercise and can pump blood more efficiently through exercise. Research shows that the benefits of regular exercise include relieving or decreasing the symptoms of angina and lessening fatigue, shortness of breath and perceived exertion during physical activity.  Other benefits include stopping or reversing the build-up of blockages in the vessels that supply blood to the heart, thus reducing such issues as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity

Cardio exercises need not be limited to the stationary bikes or machines often found at the gym. Cardio exercise can be anything that gets the heart beating faster and has you sweating buckets. By taking a nice bike ride to the park with your family or by roller-blading around the block with your friends, you can have fun and burn off excess fat.