Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Pump up Your Metabolism with Cardio Exercise

By Ricardo d Argence

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. When you do cardio, you get your heart rate going and increase blood circulation throughout your body.

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.

With cardiovascular exercise, calorie burning doesn't stop when you bring your excercising to a halt. It is a proven fact that metabolisms retain these high levels of activity for up to 18 hours after working out. 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. A bonus to becoming more muscular and losing fat is that your body will actually continue burning calories while you rest.

Endorphins are your body's natural opiates. They can also help ease depression. Another benefit of cardiovascular exercises is that it releases the so-called "feel-good" hormones called endorphins.

Getting a physical from your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to endure vigorous physical activity is something you may want to do before you begin. If your doctor gives you a clean bill of health, go ahead; but, don't go full steam ahead. The idea here is to get started and keep going, so, start slowly by walking just 10 minutes at a moderate pace every day.

After about two weeks, you're going to notice that you have more energy, that you sleep better, that you have fewer cravings for "bad" foods, and that you just in general feel better. 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. - 16004

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