Running can improve your cardiovascular health.
Cardio is not a specific type of exercise. Cardio is not even several specific types of exercise. In fact, if you started making a list of cardiovascular exercises, the list would be infinite. The determination if an exercise is cardiovascular depends on two things: intensity and duration. Intensities and durations can be combined to increase cardiovascular performance and endurance. It does not matter if you are walking, running, or hop-scotching; if the intensity and duration are not sufficient, you will not see cardiovascular improvement, weight loss or any of the myriad health benefits of cardiovascular exercises.
Low Intensity, Long Duration
Low intensity, long duration cardiovascular exercises involve intensities of 40 percent to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate and durations of 40 minutes or longer. To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from the number 220. For example, if you are 32 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 188 bpm (beats per minute). If you do not have a heart rate monitor, you can estimate your intensity by how easy it is to carry on a conversation. During low intensity, long duration exercise, you should be able to converse comfortably. Low intensity exercises are good for those beginning an exercise routine as well as good for weight loss.
Medium Intensity, Medium Duration
Medium intensity, medium duration exercises involve intensities of around 70 percent of your maximum heart rate and durations between 20 to 30 minutes. You should have a difficult time carrying on a conversation at this level of intensity. Medium intensity exercises are good for weight loss and increasing cardiovascular endurance and aerobic capacity.
High Intensity, Short Duration
High intensity, short duration cardiovascular exercises involve intensities of 80 percent to 85 percent of maximum heart rate for very short durations. This type of cardiovascular training is very demanding and should only be done for durations of 5 to 20 minutes. As a general rule, depending on the level of physical fitness, your heart rate should never exceed 80 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should not be able to carry on any conversations during this time.
Interval Training
Interval training combines medium to high intensity exercise with low intensity exercise. During interval training, you will alternate between medium to high intensity cardiovascular work and low intensity work. For example, you might run 3 minutes at 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, then 1 minute of slow walking, then another 3 minutes of running at 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. The intensities and durations can be varied to suit individual needs. For example, your routine might include 5 minutes of medium intensity running, 1 minute of low intensity, 2 minutes of high intensity, 5 minutes of low intensity. The key is to vary the intensities dramatically during your workout without stopping completely. Interval training is the best cardiovascular exercise for weight loss.
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