Exercise – The Benefits of Cardio Workouts

Cardio workouts are an important, if not indispensable piece, of any effective exercise regime. High-intensity cardio training is a wonderful way to speed up your metabolism – as your metabolism stays revved up for some time after your workout. Cardio workouts can be just about any exercise, such as jogging, running, swimming, biking, elliptical machines, even jumping rope. Your goal is to raise and maintain your heart rate for a set amount of time.

Cardio workouts help strengthen your heart and lungs, and they also help lower your resting heart rate, which means over time, the same effort that would have produced a 10 minute-mile, now might result in a 9 minute-mile.

By doing cardio workouts, you burn fat. But, just as important, you strengthen your heart. As you work out, your muscles require more blood to remove waste byproducts as well as carbon dioxide, as well as additional oxygen for fuel. Sustained cardio workouts over time train your heart, like any other muscle, to produce the same effect with less effort.

Other benefits of cardio are an increased metabolic rate (which leads to your body burning excess fat that much better), and increased growth hormone secretion (which helps fuel additional muscle growth which helps speed up your metabolism). And, you also will feel more alert (since cardio workouts increase blood flow to the brain). Not to mention that you’ll reduce stress!

Finally – a consistent cardio training program helps you build endurance – which helps you persist in not just sports, but in life as well!