Author: Katie Carone

Cardiovascular, or aerobic, fitness is the ability to sustain moderate to high intensity activity over an extended period of time. Activities in which the large muscles of the body are in constant or almost constant motion are considered aerobic. Generally your heart rate and breathing increase for a sustained period of time.

In addition to being good for burring calories, aerobic activity is particularly good for your heart. The heart is a muscle; just like any other muscle, it grows stronger with frequent use. A well conditioned heart is able to pump more blood and oxygen to the body and maintain a higher rate for longer periods of time. That is why aerobic activities are also known as “Heart Healthy” exercise.

Examples of aerobic activities include running, walking, swimming, biking, and dance.

We often hear advertisements for ways to burn fat from just your mid-section, glutes, or other problem areas. However, as much as we’d all love to target fat on the abdomen, glutes, hips, thighs, or underarms, there is no such thing as spot reduction. That means you can’t burn fat from just one specific spot on your body.

Exercise in specific areas of your body may increase your muscle strength or endurance in those areas. However, fat is generally reduced throughout the entire body, not just one spot.

The best way to reduce overall body fat is to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

Why warm-up? According to the American Council on Exercise, a warm up does the following:

• Leads to efficient calorie burning by increasing your core body temperature
• Produces faster, more forceful muscle contractions
• Increases your metabolic rate so oxygen is delivered to the working muscles more quickly
• Prevents injuries by improving the elasticity of your muscles
• Gives you better muscle control by speeding up your neural message pathways to the muscles
• Allows you to work out comfortably longer because all your energy systems are able to adjust to exercise, preventing the buildup of lactic acid in the blood
• Improves joint range of motion
• Psychologically prepares you for higher intensities by increasing your arousal and focus on exercise

If you don’t want to track your heart rate, there are other ways to determine your intensity during exercise. One method is the talk test.

When you are exercising at a moderate intensity level, you shouldn’t be so winded that you cannot talk. You should still be able to carry on a conversation with your workout partner. However, you should be working hard enough that you do not have enough breath to sing.

If you are doing intervals or performing at a more vigorous intensity level, your ability to hold a fluent conversation may be more stilted.

How do you know if you are working too hard or not hard enough? Tracking your heart rate is one way to determine your intensity.

To calculate your Exercising Heart Rate:

• Pause
• Find your pulse, preferably in your neck
• Count the number of beats in 15 seconds
• Multiply that number by 4

What does it mean? First determine your Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate by using the equation below:

220- your age = Your Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate

Your Target Heart Rate Zone is 60-85% of your Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate. When performing cardiovascular activity, your exercising heart rate should fall in this zone.

When it comes to exercise, most people still believe in the philosophy of “no pain, no gain.” While it can be nice to feel that muscle burn during a workout, you do not want the after-affects of exercise to cripple you for days after.

Going full force or pushing too hard when beginning an exercise program can lead to soreness and injury. This can also be discouraging when you are trying to get into a regular exercise schedule, as it’s difficult to be motivated to exercise if you can still barely move from your workout two days ago!

When starting a new exercise program, or even just a new exercise, start slowly and increase your time and intensity gradually over time.

Cardio-respiratory, or aerobic, activity is recommended on a daily basis. In order to improve your level of cardio fitness, your workouts should include a minimum of 20-30 minutes of aerobic activity at least three to four times per week.

Aerobic activities are activities in which you are in constant motion and can sustain an elevated heart rate over a period of time. They include, but are not limited to, running, walking, swimming, dance, cross-country skiing, and several kinds of sports. There are so many different types of aerobic activities that if you feel yourself getting in a “rut,” spice things up by trying something new!

Whether early morning or evening, if you want to exercise outside during the winter months, you may end up exercising in the dark. Below are some tips for exercising in the dark.

• Be sure to wear light colors, a reflective vest, or carry a light.
• Watch out for traffic, as drivers may have a harder time seeing you.
• Try to avoid unlit, sparsely populated areas.
• Bring a cell phone with you and make sure someone knows where you are going.
• If possible, exercise with a buddy for a safe, enjoyable workout.

You probably learned about the buddy system when you were just a kid–you and your buddy were supposed to keep track of each other. The same system can be useful now in helping you reach your diet and exercise goals.

Find a friend or family member who has similar goals as you and help each other stay motivated and on track. For example, your buddy can encourage you to work out or even set a time to exercise with you. Your buddy may also remind you to NOT go back for that second piece of cake.

Set clear expectations with your buddy as to what you would like help and encouragement with, and then don’t get offended when they try to help.

Every year thousands of people resolve to eat better, exercise more, or lose weight. Yet, a month or two into the year, their resolutions seem to fade away. Below are some tips to help you maintain your healthy resolutions throughout the year.

• Baby Steps: You want your goals to be challenging, but not over-ambitious. Setting your goals too high can be overwhelming when you don’t see immediate progress.
• Milestones: Set monthly milestones. Have short-term goals that you can celebrate along the way.
• Make it Real: Working towards an actual event with a deadline rather than an arbitrary goal can be helpful. For example, register to run a race, schedule a difficult hike, or plan to attend a fancy event where you want to fit into a specific outfit.
• Be Flexible: Life is constantly changing. Be willing to make changes to your goals and your plans also. If you aren’t seeing the progress you’d like, don’t just throw your goals out the window; instead, modify them as needed.