Get Cardio Fit by Eating Right and Exercising

There are many foods that are heart healthy and different cardio exercises that you can do in order to improve your cardio health.

There are many heart-healthy foods that you can eat if cardio health is important for you. There are many different colors and shapes to heart healthy foods that will keep your meals exciting and attractive. Fresh foods are heart-healthy foods such as garden fresh fruits and vegetables such as asparagus, sweet potatoes, beans, and legumes. Other heart healthy foods are nuts, fatty fish, whole grains and teas. There is no one magic heart healthy food; you need a variety of foods in your diet. Heart healthy is not just about eating oatmeal and omega-3 fats you can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. You can eat salmon, flaxseed ground in yogurt, on your cereal and in your muffins, oatmeal, black beans and kidney beans, almonds, walnuts, and also red wine (one glass), tuna, tofu, brown rice, soymilk, blueberries, carrots, spinach, broccoli, red bell peppers, oranges, and tomatoes are also great heart-healthy foods.

Cardio exercise is important for a healthy heart and also for weight loss. You should always choose an activity to do that you would enjoy doing whether that is walking, running, aerobics, stair climbing, or rowing. A beginner should start out with 2 or 3 days a week of activity with a rest day in-between the days of activity. You should start with a 5 to 10 minute warm-up and then a light cardio to gradually increase your heart rate. Increase the pace or intensity of your workout to just a slightly harder pace or intensity. Make sure that you always cool down after a workout by stretching. Your goal should be 30 minutes of continuous workout each day. Change your routine, by adding a new activity every four to six weeks in order to avoid boredom. Always stay well hydrated with water. Never exercise while sore or tired. Take a day to recover before exercising again.

There are different types of cardio training including continuous training and Fartlek training and also interval training that you can choose from when deciding what kind of fitness training is right for you.

Continuous training is when you participate in activities where most of the energy you use is supplied by aerobic exercises such as a 30 to 60 minute walk. You maintain a continuous flow of activity to keep your heart rate pumped for a sustained time period.

Fartlek training is a form of training that has you doing interspersing short bursts of intense and faster workouts during the time you are doing continuous physical activity. You will be deliberately intensifying your workout, which causes a temporary build-up of lactic acid. If you are running you will all of a sudden put on a burst of speed until your heart rate reaches a certain pre-determined level and then you will slow down to a jog again. You repeat this pattern throughout your run.

Interval training is when you alternate between periods of physical activity and recovery. You should remain walking or moving in some manner throughout the workout. Interval training may look something like: warm up by doing stretches, then sprint hard for 2 minutes followed by walking for 2 minutes. The pattern is repeated at least 4 times. In can increase speed, decrease rest time or increase the activity you are doing (walking) during your recovery period over time.