Thursday, August 7, 2008

Jump Start Your Diet with Cardio Exercise for Weight Loss

An important component of any diet is cardio exercise for weight loss. In fact, the single most significant factor in one’s health is exercise. “Cardio” is a term used to refer to aerobic training, which increases the function of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. This would include activities such as walking, jogging, biking, swimming laps, stair climbing, jumping rope, and dancing.

Your body is a fuel-burning machine. It doesn’t matter if you’re sleeping, pulling weeds, reading a book, or playing video games, calories are being burned. For optimum health, you should try to burn somewhere between 3500-6500 calories each week, depending on your age and size. The vast majority of these calories will come from everyday activities that you give very little thought to.

For good health you need a minimum of 60 minutes of cardiovascular activity each week. To lose weight, however, you would probably want to increase that to 30-60 minutes each day. This would be some activity that speeds up your heartbeat, and keeps it up, for at least 20 minutes at a time. Sweating is good; huffing and puffing is good; moving fast is good!

Cardiovascular activity is an excellent way to burn maximum calories and trim fat. It is even possible to raise your resting metabolism if these activities are performed regularly, and at an intensity that is challenging. Of course the great benefit of a higher functioning metabolism is that it will be easier to maintain your weight over time.

Another advantage of using cardio exercise for weight loss is that it can affect your mood by releasing endorphins, those wonderful brain chemicals. This release of endorphins can help combat feelings of depression and fatigue. Many people experience what is often referred to as a “runner as high! When you are dieting, especially for extended periods, anything that keeps your attitude and mood high is a great thing, as depression can be a major roadblock to weight loss.

If you’re overweight and not ready to exercise in front of the world yet, don’t despair. There are easy ways for you to get your cardio workout inside. You can use an exercise bike in the comfort of your own home. You can also use many wonderful DVDs that are available online, in bookstores, or in video stores. Some of these DVDs enable you to get an effective power-walking workout in your living room.

While cardio exercise for weight loss and fat burning is one benefit, there are many others. Some of the additional benefits attributed to cardio workouts include increased energy levels, reduced risk of heart disease, improved sleeping habits, reduced risk of some types of cancer, and improved bone density. With all these health benefits and more, why wouldn’t you add cardio to your daily workout?

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http://cardioweb.blogspot.com/