Exercise to improve cardiovascular health is typically termed as aerobic. Aerobic exercise works your cardiovascular system and thereby improves your endurance and your aerobic metabolism, states David C. Nieman, author of "Exercise Testing and Prescription." The best aerobic exercise for cardio health may be running or brisk walking. Consult your physician before beginning any sort of exercise program.
Features of Cardio Exercise
Cardio exercise is generally an endurance type of activity. According to "Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications" by George A. Brooks, Thomas D. Fahey and Kenneth M. Baldwin, the energy to perform any aerobic type exercise is made through a metabolic process involving oxygen. The duration and intensity of a cardio exercise indicates cardiovascular fitness. Trying to improve health and cardiovascular fitness is done through increasing the volume of cardio exercise through increased duration.
Benefits
Cardiovascular endurance training can provide a myriad of positive benefits, states the American College of Sports Medicine. If exercise is done consistently, cardio can increase lean body mass and decrease fat mass, improve cardiovascular function, improve metabolism, improve respiratory function, stave off disease and even increase your life span.
The Best Exercise
When considering the best overall exercise for cardio, there are certain characteristics that the exercise should meet. The mode of exercise should be dynamic and rhythmic, use large muscle groups, be maintainable for a prolonged period of time and be cardiorespiratory, states Nieman. The best overall cardio exercise for any able-bodied individual is running or brisk walking if running is not an option. Running fulfills all of the previously listed requirements and benefits of cardiovascular training. In addition to those, running or brisk walking also can improve bone density, joint function and certain musculoskeletal afflictions such as arthritis and sciatica, all of which can help you with activities of daily living and prolong independent living for the aging.
Considerations
Running or brisk walking might not be suitable for everyone. According to Nieman, choose your activity based on your functional capacity. For example, if you use an assisted walking device, running or brisk walking might not be the safest form of cardio exercise. You might want to choose stationary bicycle riding instead. Moreover, personal goals of the exercise should play a factor. For example, if you are a competitive swimmer, you would emphasize swimming rather than running for cardio. Check with your physicians to determine the best cardio exercise for you.
Expert Insight
In addition to the type of exercise you choose, you should also factor in the duration, frequency and intensity when exercising for cardiovascular health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults aged 18 to 64 years should get at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise per week. Ideally, cardio exercise is done on most days of the week.
References
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- "Exericse Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications"; George A. Brooks, Thomas D. Fahey and Kenneth M. Baldwin; 2005
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?
- "American College of Sports Medicine: Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; Whaley, Mitchell, Brubaker, Peter, Otto, Robert, eds.;2006.
Member Comments