Benefits of Cardio exercises for body fitness

Cardio exercise is closely related with the cardiovascular system (functioning of heart and vessels), which further helps in improving the systematic functioning of heart and arteries while improving their efficiency of fighting against Cardio vascular illness. Cardio exercise is mainly refers to jogging, cycling, climbing stairs, swimming, and brisk walking, that not only helps in improving overall health, but also gives positive results on cardiovascular system of the body.

Fight against bad cholesterol: generally, the excess consumption of bad fatty acid, produces disease like Dyslipidemia, which means lipid dis-functioning, it is a stage when bad cholesterol sticks in the arteries while creating difficulty for heart to function properly.

However, this improper functioning of heart can be eradicate while performing cardio exercise, because forceful act during cardio exercise helps heart, to realize bad cholesterol from the vessels while making it stronger.

Fight against obesity: Cardio exercises helps in improving the bad metabolism of the body, hence, further pushes the mechanism to realize more fats while making it healthier and free from excess fats.

Fight against diabetes: when the heart will start functioning well and body will gain good metabolism, then there is no doubt that disease like diabetes, will not get eradicate. Diabetes is a stage when the body does not absorb sugar from the blood, because insulin level remains low, (as body does not perform any physical activity.)

However, performing cardio vascular exercise helps in improving the insulin, and thus removing the consequences of diabetes.

Fight against hypertension: with the rise in the pressure of blood, the problem like hypertension also increases, because the flow of blood into arteries intact high pressure, but cardio vascular exercise helps in balancing the force of arteries so that blood can flow in normal range, hence, it fight against hypertension.

Helps in improving immunity: the cardio vascular exercise involves the activity of whole body, which is why; it also affects the immune system. The high-density lipoprotein helps blood to circulate properly in the body, which further allows, immune system to function well.

Helps in preventing Coronary artery disease: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is also known as cardio vascular disease, it is a stage when heart does not function properly, causing heart dis-functioning and other deadliest circumstances. But cardio vascular exercise helps in removing the causes of CAD, like hypertension, bad cholesterol etc.

Helps in improving physical fitness: lastly, Cardio exercise greatly helps in improving the stamina of body, while strengthening the physical fitness of it.

10 Minutes - 100 Calories

Are you in shape?  Workout a lot?  Wash a lot of sweaty sports bras and workout socks every weekend?  If this describes you, that means you've probably been working out for a while and have a set routine you do each week.  Maybe you're a runner or a kickboxing queen, or maybe you love the stair climber and avoid group fitness.  Whatever your routine is, take a moment right now and think about it.  How long have you been doing your workout program?  Do you tend to do the same cardio every week?

If you've just realized that you haven't changed your cardio routine in six months, it's time to make a plan!  Why?  Because, first of all, when you do the same thing over and your body is more susceptible to injury.  Repetitive movements can cause a multitude of aches and pains over time, so it's a good idea to mix things up a bit.  Another thing, your body will eventually adapt to any repetitive exercise and become more efficient at it, which means burning less calories.  If you've reached a high level of fitness and are ready for something new and challenging, I've put together some workouts just for you.  Keep in mind, these workouts are not for beginners!  So, lace up your shoes, put on your favorite tunes and get moving.  For each workout, I've given you the 'gym' version and a 'home' version.  Don't forget to cool-down after each workout and stretch!!

Cardio Blast I - 30 minutes, 300 Calories

At Home  Warm-up:  10 -  minute brisk walk around the block Running:   1 mile (approx. 10 minutes) Run up stairs or hill:  10 minutes         (count only time spent going UP stairs/hill!) Speedwalk:  10 minutes

In the Gym  Warm-up:  10 - minute walk on treadmill -2.5 to 3.0 mph Running:   1 mile on treadmill at 6.0 mph Step Mill or Stairclimber:   10 minutes, Cycling:   10 minutes at 14 to 16 mph, low resistance

Cardio Blast II - 40 Minutes, 400 Calories

At Home  Warm-up:  10 -  minute brisk walk around the block Running:   1 mile (approx. 10 minutes) Circuit Training - Lower Body:  10 minutes Jump rope:  10 minutes Circuit Training - Upper Body:  10 minutes

In the Gym  Warm-up:  10 - minute walk on treadmill -2.5 to 3.0 mph Running:   1 mile on treadmill at 6.0 mph Circuit Training-Lower Body: 10 minutes Jump rope or stairclimbing:  10 minutes Circuit Training - Upper Body:  10 minutes

Cardio Blast III - 50 Minutes, 500 Calories

At Home  Warm-up:  10 -  minute brisk walk around the block Racewalking or brisk walk up hill:  10 minutes Running:  1 mile or 10 min. (whichever comes first!) Run up stairs:  10 minutes Jump rope:  10 minutes Running:  10 minutes

In the Gym Warm-up:  10 - minute walk on treadmill -2.5 to 3.0 mph Racewalking:  10 min. on treadmill at 4.0+ mph Running:  1 mile on treadmill at 6.2 mph Step mill or climber: 10 minutes, high intensity Jump rope or stationary bike:  10 minutes, 14 mph Running:  10 minutes

Circuit Training Guidelines:

Circuit Training involves doing an exercise (using machines or free weight) one after the other, with no rest.  Below are examples of lower and upper body circuit training workouts both for the gym and home.  Do 15 repetitions for each exercise and modify weight as needed.  Feel free to add or change exercises!  This is only an example.

Lower Body Circuit at the Gym	Lower Body Circuit at Home
1.  Leg Extension 2.  Leg Press       3.  Smith Squat    4.  Seated or Prone Leg Curl 5.  Calf Raise Machine      Repeat circuit to desired time	1.  Wall Squats with leg extension  2.  Static Lunges with medium weight 3.  Deadlifts with medium-heavy weight 4.  Calf raises  (on floor or stairs) 5.  Front or Reverse Lunges-med. weight

Upper Body Circuit at the Gym	Upper Body Circuit at Home
1.  Chest Press 2.  Pec Deck       3.  Seated Row    4.  Overhead Press 5.  Side Lateral Raise       6.  Biceps Curl with cables 7. Triceps Extension with rope 8.  Pushups	1.  Pushups  2.  Dumbbell chest press 3.  Back Extension 4.  Dumbbell shoulder press 5.  Bent-arm lateral raise 6.  Dumbbell biceps curls 7.  Triceps pushups 8.  Triceps dips

Make your Own Workout
If you are creative or don't like some of the exercises I've listed, make your own workout!  The following exercises will burn about 100 calories (depending on your weight, fitness level, and intensity) in 10 minutes:

• Running - 1 mile

• Jumping rope

• Stepping - 30 steps per minute, 7 inch step

• Cycling - 13 mph

• High Impact Aerobics

• Running up stairs

• Circuit Training

• In-line Skating

• Calisthenics - pushups, jumping jacks, plyometric jumps and kickboxing-type moves

Cardio workout ideas

If you’re tired of all that fat super glued to you, try Cardio exercise. Cardio is the best and healthiest way to lose weight. In fact, it not only aids you in weight loss but helps you become healthier so you can live a fuller and happier life. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to waste hours exercising. Research has shown that exercising 30 minutes a day has some pretty effective results—but only if you use the right exercises.

Below are some Cardio workout ideas that should help you lose weight effectively and efficiently.

• Squats 

Place your hands behind your head and stand straight. Bend down in a sitting position and hold position for a few seconds. Return to relax position. Repeats these 30-40 times. This is a normal squat. For more effective results, add a jump when you return from the sitting down position.

• Lunges 

Stand in the same position as the squat; however kneel down on one leg. Repeat this with each leg at least 20 times.

• Single Arm Dumbbell Swing

Hold a dumbbell in a tight grip and stretch your arm forward in front of your waist. Bend down in a sitting position and swing the dumbbell between your legs. Moving your hip forward, rise up with the dumbbell. Repeat with each arm at least 30 times.

• Push-up 

Lie down on the ground or on a mat in a push up position. Make sure your hands are placed slightly below your shoulders and that your body is straight. Bend your elbows and raise your body ever so slightly so that your chest is inches above the ground. Thrust yourself enough to force your hands above the floor. Repeat this at least 30 times. 

Low impact cardiovascular exercises

What do you know about low impact cardiovascular exercises? Cardio exercise or often called aerobic exercise is the kind of exercise which is the most easy and cheap and provides many health benefits for our bodies, especially for cardiovascular health and fitness. There are many types of cardio exercise that we all know such as running, jogging, gymnastics, cycling and swimming. The major benefit of cardiovascular exercise in addition to improve fitness is to increase fat burning in the weight loss process. Cardiovascular exercise is a fun exercise to lose weight. If you are confused to find a good exercise for you, perhaps this kind of exercise may be the right choice. To be more powerful, aerobic / cardio workout can be accompanied with the music that you are excited.

Actually there are two types of cardiovascular exercise. They are high impact and low impact cardiovascular exercises. High Impact cardio exercise is performed with a faster tempo and intensive for instance running, jogging, cycling, aerobics, and so on. Low Impact aerobics, aerobic exercise is conducted in a moderate intensity. This kind of exercise is good for those who are recuperating from an injury, pregnant women or the elderly. Examples of this training for pregnant women are walking and aerobic exercise in the water. Maybe we already know or heard that a good cardiovascular workout to burn fat is cardio exercise with low or moderate impact in a long time for approximately 45 minutes. That is true, but there are other techniques that are more effective and efficient, and it does not require a long time but it gives satisfactory results.

The technique is called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It is a cardio workout that uses a combination of high-intensity exercise of moderate intensity or low in a certain time interval. An example is this way is sprint approximately 20-30 seconds and followed with a walk or jog for 60-90 seconds depending on the fitness of each condition. But if you don’t like this workout, you can only do low impact cardiovascular exercise too and you will be impressed with the result. Keep in mind that to obtain maximum results, of course, it is supported by certain factors other than the exercise itself, such as your diet and rest periods. Adjust your diet by eating a good balance between carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and minerals and vitamins. Reduce consumption of carbohydrates and fatty foods.

Some of the low impact exercises

• Walking exercises

• Aqua Aerobics

• Hiking

• Rowing Machine

• Stair Stepper

Aerobics, swimming and pilates are some of the other low impact exercises. Are you ready to do low impact cardiovascular exercises right now?

How to Lose Stomach Fat

Every time we view a magazine or television personality with a flat stomach, we think about how much we want one just like it. Losing stomach fat can be a challenge, but it can be done if one is willing to put in the work.

Nutrition

If you want to lose stomach fat then you need to pay attention to proper nutrition. You can do as many exercises as you want, but if you are eating junk food all day long you will not lose a pound.

The first thing you should do is read the food pyramid and see how much food in each category your body needs per day. Once you learn that, you need to find out exactly what one serving of food is. For example, one serving of a banana is actually ½ of the banana. One serving of an apple is one small apple. In the meats category, 4 oz is considered one serving.

Plan a menu based on the foods in the food pyramid and their serving sizes. If you are unsure about a serving size, just look on the package of food. Let’s say you bought a box of low-fat crackers. You will look on the nutritional label of the cracker box which should tell you how many servings are in the box and how much makes up one serving. It could be 12 crackers. If it says 12 crackers equal one serving, then count out twelve crackers and only eat those 12.

Make sure that you also add a vitamin-mineral supplement to your diet. If your body has the right vitamins and minerals, then it is better equipped to digest the food you eat as well as give you the energy you need to exercise. This will help you lose stomach fat much faster.

Exercise

Begin each day by stretching. This will loosen up your muscles so that you don’t pull any during your exercise routine. Make sure you stretch your arms, legs, sides, and neck. You only need to spend about five to ten minutes stretching to get your body ready for a workout.

Start with some aerobic exercise. This is very important because it will help you get your whole body in shape. Once you do that, you can then concentrate on our stomach area. In many cases the aerobic exercise is all it takes to lose the excess weight all over your body. You will want to spend twenty to thirty minutes per day on the aerobic portion of your workout.

Finish off by doing some exercises that target your stomach area. These would be sit-ups, crunches, and other various ab exercises. A few examples are listed below.

1. Side Bends. Since stomach fat goes all the way around, you will also want to include a few exercises for your love handles. In a standing position, bend your knees. Place your left arm over your head and slowly bend to the right. Hold for five seconds and slowly bend back to the center. Now switch to your right arm and slowly bend to the left. Hold for another five seconds and return to the center. Repeat this exercise three to five times.

2. Big Ball. Find a large exercise, therapy, or children’s toy ball. Lay with your back flat on the floor and lift your feet up on to the ball. Interlock your fingers and cup them behind your head. Lift your head up until you feel your abdominal muscles contract. You will not need to lift to far up to feel this. Hold your position for five to ten seconds and then slowly lay back down. Repeat this exercise five times.

3. Bicycle Crunch. Lay on the ground or a mat for comfort. Interlock your hands and place them behind your head. Bend your knees and hold them up in the air. Now lift up your head and reach your left arm to your right knee. Then reach your right arm to your left knee. Repeat these two steps for as long as you can. You may not be able to do it very long the first day, but after a week or two you will be a pro at it.

Medical Intervention

Medical intervention should be used as a last resort. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether you are a candidate for any of the three surgery options.

1. Liposuction. Liposuction is the use of instruments to suck out fat tissue from your problem areas. It cannot take out a whole lot of fat without being extremely harmful to your body so it is only an option for someone that is a little overweight.

2. Lap band surgery. This method places a band in around your stomach to make it smaller. You will not be able to eat as much food. By not eating as much food, you will lose weight. There are a lot of risks with this procedure so talk them over with your doctor before you decide to take this route.

3. Gastric bypass surgery. You must be classified as morbidly obese to qualify for this type of surgery. It is a risky surgery that often has some type of complication. Surgery is performed to reduce the stomach’s size by 90%. The small stomach pouch that is left fills quickly with a small amount of food. The stomach then tells the brain that it is full and the individual begins to learn to eat less food.

Warnings:

* Don’t fall for books that tell you it is possible to lose weight fast. It takes time to put weight on, and it takes just as much time to take the weight off.

* Watch out for weight loss supplements that are sold in such stores as GNC. They are suppose to increase your metabolism, but they can often times leave you feeling shaky and sick to your stomach. They will also not teach your body how to eat less and be satisfied. That can only happen as you decrease your food intake naturally.

* Stay away from alcoholic beverages. These are full of unnecessary calories. Drink water throughout the day which aids digestion and contains zero calories. A good rule is to never drink your calories.