The Importance of Cardiovascular Training
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels in the body. The primary function of the cardiovascular system is to transport oxygen throughout the body. Two additional functions are creating blood clots for wounds and regulating body temperature.
Your lungs are part of the respiratory system, which primarily intake oxygen from the air around and expel carbon dioxide. The respiratory and cardiovascular systems determine your cardiovascular endurance or aerobic fitness levels. In other words, how well your body can take in oxygen and pump it through it via blood.
There are so many ways to improve cardiovascular endurance in the body. Some of these activities include; running, walking, hiking, biking, swimming, stairs, and elliptical, to name a few. It does not matter how you train, but it is essential to ensure you add cardio to your fitness routine.
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My Personal Experience
I have always been someone that has had asthma. As a kid, I couldn’t do any physical activity without needing my inhaler. As I got older, I struggled to breathe and resisted intense cardio exercises in my fitness routine. Finally, I discovered that allergies trigger my asthma. So with help from my Dr., I take a couple of different allergy meds and make sure my home is clean as I am allergic to cats and dogs, which I have both. So reducing the amount of pet hair in the home and taking allergy meds significantly helps my asthma.
Additionally, I have incorporated running into my fitness routine. I started walking daily and following the 18-week marathon training program from the Nike Running Club app. This has done wonders with my cardiovascular endurance.
I have been able to do long-distance runs that I previously would not have been able to do. I can do sprints. And the most recent discovery, high elevation, does not bother me as it once did. And when I say high elevation, I mean over 10,000ft. So in my personal experience and with the work I’ve put in, I feel like I have almost completely reversed my asthma.
I attribute that to training my cardiovascular and respiratory systems. That has been the most significant factor in reducing my asthma symptoms and managing my allergy triggers.
So from my personal experience and my Personal Training certifications, I feel that it is crucial to train your cardiovascular endurance.
Benefits of Cardiovascular Endurance Training
There are many, many benefits of cardiovascular endurance training.
Reduced risk of diseases:
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Type two diabetes
stroke
some types of cancer
Increased stamina and lung strength - overall, your lungs and heart will feel stronger as you incorporate cardio exercises into your fitness routine.
Increased immune system
Weight management
Increased bone density
Better mood
Longevity as you age
Increase your endurance for strength training
The list goes on and on or the benefits of cardiovascular endurance training. I cannot express enough the importance of cardiovascular exercise for your health.
Tips for Incorporating Cardio into Your Training
If you are not currently working on cardiovascular endurance training, I highly recommend that you begin to incorporate that into your fitness routine. If you’re curious about my current workout split, I recently wrote a blog post detailing my everyday routine.
This is a sample of a blog post from My Active Life, LLC Members, where I post blog posts for nutrition and fitness tips, workout videos, and programs. Click here to join My Active Life, LLC members and read the full post!
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If you are here and reading this, you have an interest in your health and fitness. That is so good; I am so excited for you! Taking care of your body is the best thing you can do for yourself in the present and the long term.
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
— unknown
I find that quote so inspiring. Hard work will pay off in the future, but you must also live in the moment, and taking care of yourself is doing both. You are doing good for yourself now and for your future self.
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