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Introduction
to:
Cardiovascular fitness can be defined simply as your body's ability
to get oxygen and blood to the muscles efficiently.
When you do physical activity and your pulse quickens and your
breathing gets deeper, you are using your cardiovascular system.
"Cardio"
= Heart
"Vascular"
=
Pertaining to blood vessels
You can improve your cardiovascular system's efficiency through
regular training.
Your heart is a muscle. You cannot strengthen that muscle
by lifting weights, as you might other skeletal muscles.
In order to "exercise" your heart muscle you must get it
beating faster.
The stronger your heart muscle is = the lower your resting
heart rate (RHR) is. Your RHR is how fast your heart beats
when your body is at rest - this figure is a measure of
cardiovascular fitness
If your heart is strong, it does not have to "work" as hard
to efficiently deliver adequate amounts of blood (carrying
oxygen) to your body's muscles.
A "fit" heart rate is like a golf score...lower is better!
How much Cardio do I need?
Your heart rate is your guide for cardiovascular exercise intensity
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For improving cardiovascular fitness in general
three or four times per week for 20 to 40 minutes per session
(depending on your current level of fitness) within your
Target Heart Rate Zone
will yield good results.
What is the Target Heart Rate Zone?
Your
Target Heart Rate Zone is the range of heart beats per minute at
which you should work at in order to best achieve cardiovascular
fitness
CALCULATING YOUR TARGET HEART RATE TRAINING ZONE USING THE KARVONEN
FORMULA
Let's take a look at this simple formula using Susie B. Fitt:
Step 1:
Susie will need to know the following:
Her age.....let's say she is
21
Resting heart rate (RHR) - Susie finds this by taking her pulse
and counting the beats per minute for one full minute as soon as
she rises out of bed in the morning.
(The average
resting heart rate for men is 70 beats per minute while women
have an average of 75 beats per minute.)
Step 2:
Calculate age predicted Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
220 - age = predicted max heart rate(MHR)
220 - 21 = 199
Step 3:
Calculate resting heart rate (RHR)
True resting heart rate is taken for 1 full minute as soon as
you rise out of bed. Susie's resting heart rate is about average
at 72.
Step 4:
Subtract resting heart rate from maximum heart rate to get heart
rate reserve (HRR)
MHR - RHR = HRR
199 - 72 = 127
Step 5:
Multiply HRR by 60 - 80% of your maximum heart rate which will set
your upper and lower zone limits:
Multiply your heart rate reserve (HHR) by 60% and 80% and add
your resting heart rate back in:
Low end of range is HRR X .60
127 X .60 = 76.2 + 72 (RHR) =
148
High end of range is HRR X .80
127 X .80 = 102 + 72 (RHR) = 174
RESULT:
Susie's beginning Target Heart Rate Zone is:
148 ----------------------> 174
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What activities promote cardiovascular fitness?
Aerobic Exercises:
Aerobic = in the presence of oxygen.
Those activities or exercises that involve using your whole body
(large muscle groups), in a rhythmic pattern, over a long period of
time (minimum of 20 minutes) are considered to promote
cardiovascular fitness.
As a
general rule, exercises ending in "-ING"
(and meeting the criteria stated above) are aerobic in nature.
Running
Hiking
Walking
Swimming
Jumping
Skipping
Cross Country Skiing
Boxing
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What are some benefits of cardiovascular fitness?
Participating in a cardiovascular fitness program can help the
participant to:
- lower blood pressure
- increase HDL cholesterol
- decrease total cholesterol
- decrease body fat due to utilizing fat as energy
- increase heart function and its ability to pump more blood
- decrease stress reactions and anxiety
- reduce glucose-stimulated insulin
- increase oxygen output to body
- decrease resting heart rate
- increase cardiac output
- increase aerobic work capacity
Cardiovascular Exercises and Tips
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