Cardiovascular conditioning, or cardiovascular exercise, is a term used to describe any exercise that causes your heart to work harder and improves your body's consumption of oxygen. Cardiovascular exercises are also sometimes called aerobic exercises. When performed regularly, exercises of this sort can help strengthen your heart and lower the rate at which it beats.
Basics
The Mayo Clinic lists a variety of cardiovascular or aerobic exercises, including walking, brisk walking, jogging, rowing, elliptical training, bicycling, stair climbing, aerobic dancing, cross-country skiing and swimming. The American Council on Exercise lists additional examples, such as interval training, jumping rope and cross-training, which involves mixing different forms of exercise in a single session. These exercises achieve their effects on your body by engaging the large muscles in your legs, hips and arms. Engagement of these muscles encourages deeper and faster breathing, which in turn encourages acceleration of your heart rate to meet your body's oxygen needs.
Heart Rate Reduction
When your heart rate increases, your blood flows more quickly throughout your body, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you exercise regularly, your heart will strengthen and you will be able to maintain this increased blood flow more and more easily. More efficient pumping of your heart can also trigger a decrease in your heart rate both during rest time and the performance of your daily activities.
Target Heart Rate
You can control and monitor your level of exertion during cardiovascular conditioning by working within an intensity level called your target heart rate, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Begin calculating your target rate by determining your maximum level of heart exertion, or maximum heart rate. This rate is calculated by subtracting your age from the number 220. For instance, a 40-year-old individual has a maximum heart rate of 220 minus 40, or 180. Depending on your current level of fitness, your target heart rate will equal anywhere from 45 to 85 percent of this maximum rate.
Exercise Guidelines
In addition to working at your target heart rate, proper and effective cardiovascular conditioning typically involves exercising a minimum of three times per week for at least 20 minutes per exercise session, the AAOS reports. If you are new to exercise, you will usually perform at the lower end of your target heart rate and only gradually work your way up to exercising for at greater intensity or for extended periods. Before beginning any new exercise program, consult your doctor and ask him to review or help design a suitable plan for your age, physical condition and medical status.
Additional Benefits
In addition to strengthening your heart and lowering your heart rate, aerobic or cardiovascular conditioning can help keep your arteries clear of the dangerous cholesterol-based substance called plaque, according to the Mayo Clinic. Additional potential benefits of cardiovascular conditioning include weight reduction, increased resistance to infectious diseases, reduction of your risks for chronic health conditions, mood elevation, increased physical stamina and increased longevity.
Member Comments