Help Your Body Win: Reasons to Get Up and Running

The daunting sensation of pushing your body beyond its limits on the cardio workout machines might not always feel like it was worth it, but cardiovascular activities are an important component of a complete exercise regimen. Cardio for some is a very dreaded word, and for others it’s a passion they can’t get enough of. Although it’s often times difficult to perform the recommended amount of cardio per week (150 minutes), just 30 minutes of moderately-intense cardio exercises each day can enhance your physical fitness levels and your overall well-being. Here are three reasons why daily cardiovascular activities are needed to help you lose weight and improve your health.

Heart Health

The major muscle groups are the primary focus of exercise most of the time, regardless whether you’re lifting weights, using cardio workout machines or sprinting. However, it’s important to realize that your muscles aren’t the main focus when performing cardiovascular exercises, your heart is. These activities increase your heartbeats per minute, which in turn increases blood flow to your working muscles and your heart. Even though you don’t need to perform high-intensity cardio exercises, like sprinting, to improve your heart health, raising your heartbeats per minute over 120 is important if you want to enhance your body’s natural ability to burn fat.

Endurance

Performing 30 minutes of cardio and making a habit out of it five times a week will significantly increase your endurance level. If you’re new to the process, your endurance is a very effective resource for measuring progress. Consider the hypothetical challenge of training for a triathlon. You most likely won’t be able to run the whole way on the first attempt. However, over time your endurance will increase as your muscular strength and respiratory system improve. Additionally, your body will experience more performance-enhancing benefits, such as an improved metabolism, which is a big factor in losing weight.

Muscular Strength

The respiratory system plays a major role in the body’s ability to build lean muscle mass. Muscles need numerous nutrients in order to grow stronger, which puts an emphasis on your diet. Muscles require a healthy and oxygen-rich blood flow in order to operate at an optimum level. Cardio activities improve the respiratory function, which aids in the supplying of the working muscles with the oxygen they need to optimally operate. A daily regimen on the cardio workout machines has the potential to increase your body’s ability to run and exercise at higher intensities for prolonged periods of time.

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