Cardio Exercise Could Save Your Life!

Due to time constraints, people who have a job tend to concentrate on anaerobic exercises (weight lifting) rather than on more aerobic ones (cardio exercise). One of the biggest reasons of the trend is that they think weight lifting has more impact on their health than cardio when they don’t have much time to exercise.
In fact, there was more than a 10% decrease in the number of people who do cardio compared to the figure from 2008. On the other hand, weight lifting —those who work out their muscles more than twice a week—has been enjoying a continued growth trend.

I am not trying to say that weight lifting is not important, but here’s the catch; if we don’t do cardio at all, we will have to settle for half the effect of our work out because our heart and lungs are not strong enough. Therefore, we should always keep this in mind—we should invest some time on cardio in order to profit from our efforts to the maximum.

Why Cardio Exercise Is a Necessity

According to research on 14,000 middle-aged men conducted at the University of Vermont in the US, cardio exercise lovers were 55% less vulnerable to lung cancer, and 44% less to colorectal cancer. While it surely proves how cardio can help us protect ourselves from cancer, we may also expect additional benefits from it, such as the following:

1. Lower risk of heart diseases including high blood pressure, angina, and cardiac infarction.
2. Protection from risk of lifestyle diseases including diabetes and obesity.
3. Stronger heart and lung.
4. Improvement in heart function thanks to better blood circulation.
5. Good protection from cancer.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cardio Exercise

If we say cardio, we usually think of running, walking, swimming, cycling, or hiking. In general, it is best to do one of them at least three times a week on a regular basis. By doing so, we will really notice the maximum benefits of cardio; strengthening our heart and lungs and minimizing the risk of developing lifestyle diseases and other threats to our health. Now let’s see what the pros and cons are of running and walking—arguably the top two cardio exercises that are most familiar to us.

Walking

Walking
Advantages Disadvantages
  • - Everyone can enjoy it regardless of age
  • - Lessens the risk of cardiovascular diseases with its modest consumption of calories
  • - Lower rick of injury
  • - Not intense enough for a working out
  • - Hard to reach the level of heartbeat required for significant improvements in the endurance of heart and lungs

Running

Running
Advantages Disadvantages
  • - Improves cardiorespiratory endurance
  • - Strengthens our muscles and bones in a balanced manner
  • - Increases the concentration level of healthy HDL cholestrerols in blood
  • - Some risk of injury
  • - May inflict damage on the joints of in ankles, knees, hip, and spine

Exercise Tips by Age

So what could be the best exercise options for us? As the answer differs depending on your age, please refer to the following table.

20’s to early 30’s
20’s to early 30’s

3 to 5 times a week / 30 to 60 minutes per session

  • - Try a various range of exercises and stick to what suits you best
  • - A combination of weight lifting and cardio is recommended, rather than just jogging or walking
  • - Try fast-paced jogging or cycling three times a week for about 30 to 50 minutes a day to improve your cardiorespiratory endurance
Mid 30’s to 40’s
Mid 30’s to 40’s

3 to 5 times a week / 30 to 60 minutes per session

  • - Try not to push yourself, as your stamina decreases over time
  • - Put more focus on less intense cardio esercises like walking, fast walking, jogging, cycling, or playing badminton
  • - If you are a woman and in your 40’s, concentrate more on muscle training to prevent osteoporosis, as your bone density falls
  • - Combine cardio and simple muscle training like push-ups, sit-ups, and squats
50’s and 60’s
50’s and 60’s

3 to 4 times a week / 30 to 60 minutes per session

  • - Do not push yourself
  • - Outdoor walking or walking on a tread-mill for about half an hour a day should suit you best
  • - If you are older than 60, please consult your physician before you try any exercise
  • - Easy walking, stretching, and riding a stationary bicycle are most recommended

 

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