Using Cardio to Lose Weight

Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio, put simply is your body’s ability to shift oxygen and blood to your muscles. The reason we refer to this as cardio exercise is because when participation in these activities makes your breathing get deeper and your pulse speed up, which uses your cardiovascular system. On the other hand, aerobic exercise helps improve the way your body consumes oxygen. In fact, aerobic translates to, “with oxygen”. Despite this contradiction, doing ‘cardio’ and ‘aerobic’ exercises are virtually the same thing, but not always.

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When you think of cardio to lose weight, you probably imagine intense workouts that last for long periods of time, but that’s not always true. The intensity of your workout will be determined by your level of fitness and your own weight loss goals. In general, aerobic exercises are medium-level intensity and completed over an extended period of time. Walking is a prime example of aerobic exercise. Sprinting however is not an aerobic exercise despite its effect on your cardio system and oxygen consumption. There are many benefits to aerobic exercise beyond how quickly it helps you shed those extra pounds.

How it Works

Aerobic exercise reduces your risk of contracting heart disease and other cardiovascular-related health issues. As someone carrying around a few additional pounds aerobic exercise will help you strengthen your heart and decrease your heart rate when you’re at rest. When you’re overweight, your heart works harder to circulate blood and oxygen throughout your body. Regular aerobic exercise will improve your cardiovascular health while you rid yourself of those unwanted pounds, and put less stress on your heart.

An added benefit that all overweight men and women should know about aerobic exercise is that it can help reduce your blood pressure. Since blood pressure is a serious concern for overweight individuals around the world, aerobic exercises serve both purposes without taking away from your ability to lose weight. Your weight loss goal should include improved health and a better physique.

Reaching Your Goals

The intensity and length of your daily workout will depend on your weight loss goal and your level of fitness. You’re reading this to learn how to lose weight effectively, so aim for completing at least twenty minutes of cardio/aerobic exercises each time you exercise, at least 3-5 days per week. Even if you can’t work out five days a week, you should integrate more physical activity into your daily routine.

If you want to lose the fat, but aren’t in the best physical shape, start your weight loss regiment with low intensity workouts that last for a long time such as walking. Don’t make the mistake that so many do and try to do too much, too soon. Increasing the intensity of your workout before you’re ready will only leave you feeling tired and disappointed. Build up your fitness level and lung capacity by slowly increasing the intensity and length of your cardio/aerobic workouts.

Making the Most of Your Workout

To determine if you’re getting a high intensity workout, you’ll need to measure your heart rate. Some elliptical machines and treadmills will measure your rate for you, but if running or walking is more your speed, there’s a quick and easy way to measure your workout intensity. Proper weight loss will require you to first know your target heart rate, or the level at which your heart will work to give you the best possible workout.

To measure your heart rate, place your forefinger and middle finger on your wrist just below your thumb. You should feel palpitations against your fingers; count those palpitations for one minute to measure your heart rate. Save time by counting the palpitations for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4. If you have trouble feeling the palpitations on your wrist, place the same fingers on your carotid artery, which you can feel just below your jawbone on either side. Find your way to the palpitations with your fingers, and count using the same math above.

In order to figure out your maximum heart rate and target heart rate, you need to know how to measure your heart rate. Figure out your maximum heart rate with this simple equation:

220- Age (in years) = Maximum heart rate or HR max.

For a 30 year old, the maximum heart rate would is, 220-30= 190. This number tells you approximately how many beats per minute your heart is capable of producing. Keep in mind that this number isn’t absolute, but rather an approximation of what your heart can do. Now that you know how to determine your maximum heart rate, finding your target heart rate is a matter of math. Using the example above for the HR max, remember that your target heart rate should be 60-80% of your HR max.

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