Saturday, January 10, 2009

Pump up Your Metabolism with Cardio Exercise

By Ricardo d Argence

When you do cardio, you get your heart rate going and increase blood circulation throughout your body. Cardio exercise is basically whole body exercise that, ideally, should make you breathe harder than usual, get your heart rate pumping, and help you work up a good sweat. It is as necessary for overall health and fitness as anaerobic exercise is.

Cardiovascular exercise has the unique benefit of exercising your heart, which is the most critical muscle you have. if you increase your pulse rate and keep it there at a sustained rate for a period of time, you increase your overall fitness level. That's a good thing for your health.

However, one of the most commonly noted and popular benefits of doing cardiovascular exercise is that it burns off excess calories and can help you lose weight. It'll also give you an overall "toning" for your entire body.

One of the greatest benefits of cardiovascular exercise in regard to weight loss is that your calorie burning benefits don't stop when you stop exercising. In fact, some studies have shown that your metabolism stays at this significantly increased range for up to 18 hours after you finish your workout. And done over a long period of time, because you are toning and making your body more fit overall, it burns calories faster just as a matter of course. That's because as you become more fit, you'll both lose fat and gain muscle, and muscle burns calories even when you are at rest.

There are a lot of benefits of cardiovascular exercises. Another one is that it releases the so-called "feel-good" hormones called endorphins, your body's natural opiates; and they can also help ease depression.

Before you start excersizing, make a visit to your doctor and make sure you're fit for vigorous physical activity. If your doctor gives you a clean bill of health, go ahead; but, don't go full steam ahead. Starting slow with a 10 minute moderately paced walk daily is a way to get going and keep going.

You will notice improvement after approximately two weeks as your energy levels rise, your sleep improves and your junk food cravings lessen. Most of all, perhaps, you are going to notice that your mood is a lot more positive. That's great; keep going.

To ensure that you keep your fitness level up you will need to have to increase the challenges you undertake. If you are going to try a cardio program, there are another things you should have in mind. You will get better results as long as you are capable to change your lifestyle. What I mean is you will have to eat right, get enough sleep, drink enough water, etc.

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