BODY SHAPE

How much cardio do we really need? What are the benefits or regular cardio training? How to keep yourself motivated? 

​​These are just some questions people often ask about cardio training and I'll try to provide answers to them in this article. 

 

A general guideline for cardio training frequency is thirty minutes of exercise, five days a week with moderate intensity. In case you prefer a mix of high and low intensity training, then around twenty minutes per session three days a week should do it. Furthermore, if you believe cardio exercises are just for those looking to lose weight - think again. 

 

Most of us have 8-5 jobs, where we spend most of the time sitting. Just that fact alone should be enough for anyone to start thinking about cardiovascular training. In case you too suffer from lower back pain, tight muscles or even fatigued (even though you don't even exercise), then you should start training as soon as possible. If you are wondering what are the benefits of cardio training, take a look at this list: 

 

- Increased lung capacity and stronger heart

- Decreased stress level

- Helpful in coping with anxiety or depression

- Improved sleep 

- Motivational to people around you

- Tremendously helpful for weight loss

- Increases bone density and tendons strength

- Heart diseases and cancer prevention

- You feel better about yourself

- Gives you more energy in general

 

As you might've noticed, weight loss is just a small part of overall benefits. A big problem for most people who are trying to lose weight through cardio training is that they focus just on that one benefit. Once a few weeks pass by and they don't see the results they were hoping for, all hell breaks loose and they stop training. It's important to be aware of other benefits of cardio, other than weight loss, to keep your motivation high. 

 

So, how do you start with cardio training? First of all, try to keep it very simple for your own sake. If you can start with only twenty minutes long training each day, you'll be heading in the right direction. Just do anything you can to get out of house - walk, run, join a sport club or anything that will help you stay motivated. 

 

Another important thing to remember is to be patient and don't expect miraculous results in a couple of weeks. It will most likely take months of regular training and proper nutrition to start seeing some serious results from cardio training.