We all know how to sweat, right? Exert yourself with a pair of sneakers on and you’ve pretty much got it. But do you know the proper guidelines for cardiovascular exercise? How much do you need? How often do you need to do it? How the heck do you work it into your schedule? Here’s the basics as Challenge Week continues.

Why do cardio?

The main reason to do cardio is to keep your heart healthy. Cardiovascular exercise stresses and ultimately strengthens your hearts aerobic capacity. That means it can pump blood to all of your cells efficiently and easily. Your cells get all the nutrients they need and you feel energetic and healthy.

Isn’t cardio just to stay skinny?

Nope, although cardio exercise is an excellent way to lose and maintain weight, you don’t want to think of it in those terms. You want to have a regular cardio routine that’s “doable” for you.  There are guidelines that we’ll discuss in a minute.  But you need to do what works best with your lifestyle.

How much cardio do I need?

Actually quite a bit.  There are two ways to look at it.  The mammoth study the National Weight Control Registry conducted suggests that you move most days of the week.  That means five or six days per week of cardio exercise for about an hour each time.  The American College of Sports Medicine did an aggregate study last winter and they suggest 150 minutes per week to maintain weight and 200 to 250 minutes per week to lose weight.

Seriously?  You’ve got to be kidding.

Nope.  Our bodies literally rust out from disuse, not so much wear out from overuse.  If you want to live a long and healthy life, if you want to be vibrant and mobile in your 60s, 70s, and beyond, you need to start doing cardio now. Here’s a tip.  Americans spend, on average, 6 hours and 47 minutes per day watching TV.  Take the time from there.

Sheesh.  Where do I start?

Start small.  Don’t take the ACSM guidelines and start disrupting your entire life to “get your minutes” in.  Think in 10 or 20 minute bursts of time (pick the better one for you).  I’ve had clients use 10 minute bursts of time as a transition from one activity to the next.  It’s a great way to clear your brain before you move on to other things.  I’ve also had people carve out 20 minutes in the morning, or lunch time, or after dinner to get a workout in.  It truly can be done. Look at your calendar and see where you can plug in.   Start with two or three sessions per week.  After a month, add another session, and repeat until you get to five or six sessions per week.  You’ll discover you crave it after a while. Once the habit is established, add five minutes per session per month.  It’ll take you a year to get to the full guidelines, but you’ll have snuck it in so gradually you and your family won’t even notice the time.

Well, I walk a lot.  That counts, right?

Usually it doesn’t.  You need to break a sweat, you need to have flushed skin, and you need to be huffing and puffing. While a stroll at lunch with a friend can give you some joint mobility and mild weight-bearing benefits, if you’re not sweaty and gross when you come back, you’re not doing cardio.   For a lot of people this will eliminate the lunch time work stroll.  But here’s a little trick: stash some deodorant and babywipes in your desk.  If babywipes can clean poo off a tushie, it can work just fine to freshen up after a mid-day workout.  Lots of my clients use this trick.

So what does count?

Any activity that elevates your heart rate to the point that you are exerting yourself.  I spoke with a researcher about this, and even with all the fancy equipment available to him, the Rate of Perceived Exertion test was pretty darn accurate.  You want to work on a scale of 1 – 10 at a minimum of 6, optimal of 7 or 8, and do intervals at 8 or 9.  One on the scale is the easiest couch potato position (literally) and 10 is running at full tilt away from the bad guys down a dark alley.  You never want to get to 10!  Here’s some specific ideas for cardio.

So are heart rate monitors worth it?

I love mine.  I actually just bought a new digital one but really any of them work fine.  With just a glance you’ll know how you’re doing.  Monitors are fun to use during interval training which is a burst of super heavy cardio on the RPE scale, a short period of 8 or 9 during regular cardio training (an RPE of 6 or 7).  Heart rate monitors run from $40 to $200 so you can get super fancy or just the basics.  All you really need is one that displays your heart rate on the screen but it’s nice to get the models that also include your calorie burn so you can see what you’re torching off your body.  I always find that satisfying.

Which type of cardio should I do?

I love this question and I get it all the time.  Our bodies have a genetic predisposition to certain athletics and it’s up to us to discover our own best type of movement.  Jockeys can’t be pro-basketball players and pro-basketball players can’t be jockeys.  What sports did you play as a kid that you still have fond memories for?  Is there a group exercise class in your gym that has been tempting you but that you haven’t tried yet?  Do you want to join the tortured crowd and do a boot camp class at the crack of dawn?  What appeals to you?  There will be a little bit of trial and error here as you figure it out.  I have a haphazard combination of Spinning, Hula hooping, running, and kayaking.  I only added kayaking two years ago and have been hooping for just barely over a year.

This sounds like a lot of work …

You know what’s a lot of work?  Pushing a walker across the aisles of a grocery store when you’re only 62.  Or trying to recover from your first heart attack scared witless that the next one is around the corner.   Or facing surgery because you’ve been obese for so long that you’ve blown out your knees.  Or my personal fave, injecting yourself with needles every day because you’ve developed diabetes from a combination of poor diet, poor weight control, and lack of exercise.  Go ahead, feel free to follow that path … I’ll be doing a pleasant lap around the local pond and smiling at my running buddies as I pass them.

Oh sure, use scare tactics … (eye roll)

Okay, how about this?  You show up at your high school reunion and you’re the thinnest one there.  You start talking to your fellow alums and you hear the whole list of medical issues cropping up — bad backs and other joint issues, heart problems, maybe even a classmate or two has passed away.  You grab your spouse and spin around the dance floor a few times effortlessly, chat some more, and leave happy to have seen everyone again.  Wouldn’t you rather be that person? I would.

So what do you think?  Has this helped you think about cardio and your life?  What type of cardio do you do now? Would you like to do more?  Let me know what you’re up to.  If you have any questions, ask away.

By the way, if you’re a fan of my site, please join the mailing list.  It’s over in the right hand column.  I’d love you to join us for a slightly more irreverent take on fitness and healthy living.

Lisa

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