Title: Cardio Conditioning 101

Date: 06-11-2008

by Mike Ryan, PT,ATC,PES
www.MikeRyanFitness.com

Why do more cardio?
It does not matter how “young” we are or what sport(s) we play, we all need to "do more cardio". With that being said, do we really know why? Do we truly understand what is meant by the magical word "cardio"?

Cardio is the abbreviation for cardiovascular. This is the body's coordination of its breathing and circulation. Breathing introduces oxygen into the body's blood supply by way of the lungs. At that point, the circulatory system transports the oxygen-rich blood to the muscles and organs.

Learn how to LOVE Cardio Workouts
The purpose of this article is to show cardio exercises in a new light. I will show you exciting reasons why you should look at cardio exercises as “aerobic play”. You will find aerobic play fun and entertaining. To accomplish this, you will need to open your mind and awaken your imagination.

If an event, no matter how personally rewarding it is, is viewed as a negative stimulus, it will be harder to get started. If cardiovascular activities are viewed with the same attitude as taking out the trash or cleaning the bathroom, the willingness to perform the activity will be poor.

It’s time understand that aerobic play is important, fun and its rewards will make you look and feel better!

Forget the all too common notion that cardio exercises consist of only biking and running. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

9 ways Aerobic Exercise will improve your life
Why is it important to have some form of aerobic exercise as part of your healthy lifestyle? The benefits are both physical and psychological advantageous. The health benefits of aerobic exercise include:

Lower cholesterol
Decreasing body fat
Improved self-esteem
Improving endurance
Improved sex life!
Reduces stress
Higher daily energy level
Improved circulation
Increased muscle tone

Can you see reasons how any one of these factors could improve your life and your outlook on life? Now imagine how much you will look forward to your aerobic play when you personally experience these kinds of benefits!

8 Small Steps to Successfully Turning Cardio Workouts into FUN!
Step #1 Check with the Docs
Here comes the disclaimer…. Consult with your doctor to avoid medical complications and contraindications.

Step #2 Improving Mental Imagery
This is an important step to implementing aerobic play. It purpose is to delete your present vision of boring and painful exercise. Replace those negative thoughts and visions with magical and entertaining experiences of doing activities that you enjoy with a smile on your face. See others around you having fun and encouraging each other. The replacement of the mental picture of unpleasant activities is so important because it allows you to ingrain happy and entertaining images that motivate you each and every day.

Having friends who both motivate you and accompany you will be powerful rewards. Being accountable to others to report your progress will help you stay focused on your exercises.

Names are powerful stimulator's for the human mind, both positively and negatively. From now on, you are no longer WORKing out. Now you are PLAYing.

Step #3 Find Your Activities
Here is the fun part when you open your mind and your imagination. Forget about your age, your neighbors, society’s imposed-limitations and your embarrassment factor. Simply answer the question “what could I do for a minimum of 20 minutes that will increase my heart rate and burn some calories?” This question will conjure up some pretty interesting answers! Now it is up to you to find a few of them that will get you excited and put a smile on your face.

Fun activities such as walking on the beach, dribbling/shooting a basketball, dancing, shadow boxing, hiking, and swimming are great possibilities. Get back to doing an activity you enjoyed as a child or create a sport with various activities such as yard work or walking the stairs at work.

Focusing on the realization that you have been blessed to be able to do what you do in this beautiful world. Contrary to what the picture that the evening news paints for you, this is an amazing rock to live on so get out and enjoy your “youth”! Forget what others might think….just get out and move.

Park on the other side of the parking lot and walk the long way to the office or dust off the bike to ride to meet friends for breakfast while you still have the ability to do so.

Step #4 Have the Proper Gear
To avoid injuries or setbacks, make sure you utilize the proper equipment for your playtime. A new pair of shoes or a trip to the store for a new workout hat is well justified. In doing so, you help avoid an easy excuse that might keep you from following through on your promise to yourself to change your lifestyle.

One of the best ways to improve your cardio workouts is to buy yourself an iPod or a portable radio. Music is a powerful tool to help keep your attitude positive while working out and I only hope it helps improve your singing voice more than it has mine!

Be smart and do the right thing!

Step #5 Take Action
Get out to a good start by taking that first step to a new you by putting your intension on paper to be seen every day. The next step is to put it into action.

Do not worry about anything other than putting the wheels in motion.

Look at what you have done so far:
>You changed your attitude.

>You found some activities that interest you.

>Now you are taking steps in the right direction by doing it!

The act of creating momentum is very powerful.

The activities should be performed slowly and at an easy pace for the first 1 –2 weeks. A simple yet important study in Runner’s World showed that for most runners, if they ran at an intensity where they could still briefly talk to their training partners while still being winded and mostly breathing heavy was at an approximate heart rate (HR) of 70% of their maximum HR. If they could chit-chat with easy, they were well below the 70% effort level and if they were “gassed” with no ability to talk, they were closer to 85% of their maximum hear rate.

Why is this magical 70% of your maximum HR so important? This is the intensity level where you will burn most of your body fat! Therefore, by staying close to 70% of your maximum HR you will drastically enhance two important elements of your workout plan:

A. You burn more body fat.
B. You significantly reduce your chance of an injury compared to performing your cardio work at a level above 80% of your maximum HR.

Using any type of wireless heart rate monitor is a very effective tool to know exactly how hard you are working. Think of how difficult it would be to drive your car if you did not have any gauges or meters on your dashboard? The feedback from your heart rate monitor gives you an exact reading “under your hood” and it allows you to log your weekly progress.

Step #6 Reward Yourself
You did it! No matter how small of a step, you took action and now you deserve a reward. Do something or buy something that makes you happy. You now have a new belief system and you are doing something positive to improve your health and outlook on life. For that, a special treat of your choosing is a great motivator. Enjoy!


Step #7 Weekly Planning
Now it’s time to put these activities into your weekly plan. Do not try to “find time” because this usually will not result in a consistent pattern. Instead, “MAKE” the time for 20 minutes of play 2 – 5 times per week. Be creative and find interesting ways and locations to have PLAY-fun throughout the week.


Step #8 Reassess Your Plan
After one month of implementing your aerobic play, reassess your activities and plan for potential changes. Increasing the length of the activities, finding new training partners, adjusting your attitude and/or finding new activities are all positive issues to be considered.

AHHH…Success
A new appreciation for aerobic play will go a long way to improving the quality of your life and those around you. Action speaks louder than words when it comes to our family and friends. Showing our children that we care enough about them to take care of ourselves will clearly reinforce our respect for them as well as ourselves.

Think of life as a wonderful opportunity to do great things and finding new ways to challenge ourselves is a great way to invigorate our lives.

Get into the game and keep moving!