Benefits of Cardio Exercise
Cardio: physical exercise that increases the rate at which your heart works.
Our bodies are made to move. We may think of cardio as a chore, huffing, puffing, and sweating through workouts just to change how our bodies work. Yes, cardio can help change your body, but it has so many other benefits that know those may make you look at cardio exercise with different eyes
It can feel good to move your body. It can feel good to be strong and confident and know you can make it through a workout. That confidence translates into other areas of your life. If you can exercise, what else can you tackle?
Keep It simple. If you're confused about what to do, start with the basics—you need at least 20 minutes for the body to get going, so start there. Get out your calendar, find 20 minutes of time on 3 different days and do something—walking, running, going to the gym, vigorous yard work—whatever you want. Make it a habit first and work on your time and intensity later.
Be patient. Part of allowing yourself time to make exercise a habit is being patient...you can't start where you want to be, which may be more than you can handle. You have to start where you are right now. That means easing into it and allowing both your body and mind to respond to what you're doing. The weight loss will eventually come, but not right away.
Find something to enjoy. If exercise seems like a chore, skip your normal workout and try something else. Take a walk outside if you can and look around. Notice the scenery. Take a new route. Breathe in the air. Breathe deeply. Sometimes just being outside is a reminder of how wonderful it is to have a healthy, functioning body.
Mix it up. The nice thing about cardio exercise is that you can choose any activity that raises your heart rate. You don't have to do the same workout every session, nor every week. If you've been doing the same workouts try something new. Changing up your cardio is easy, so do it often and you'll discover more activities you enjoy. You can even just change up the workout you currently do. For example, if you gravitate towards treadmill workouts, try mixing it up with interval training.
So remember... stay active and add Cardio into your healthy lifestyle :).
