Cardio

As a personal trainer, I get asked all sorts of questions regarding health and fitness. Some are very specific, and some are a little more vague. I would like to take this time to answer one of the more popular questions I get from clients and non-clients alike.

What type of cardio is best for me?

If you take the time to thumb through a few health magazines, you will be able to find articles giving you data to back up how essential running is for your well being. You will also be able to find articles on how essential aerobics is, articles on how important your swimming is, how cardio kickboxing is the only workout you need, and so on. So which article is correct? The answer is all of them!

Cardio training can be defined as any exercise that can be sustained for a long period of time with little or no interruption. Cardio training works the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. As with anything, the more you ‘practice’ cardio training, the better, and more efficient your body becomes at it.

The key to leading a healthy lifestyle is variety. There is no miracle exercise that will make you that much healthier. Try as many different activities as possible. Find out the ones you like, and stick with them! Always be willing to try new (even potentially difficult) activities. Remember, it doesn’t have to be in a workout or in the depths of your basement to count as exercise. You may not be able to wake up without your morning jog. Your neighbor may hate running, but loves to play tennis. Your friend may feel lost without her daily aerobics. Who is better off? You all are!

Ideally, one should dedicate time to cardio training 3-4 times per week The length of the activity can vary from as little as twenty minutes, to an hour, or even longer. The key to getting the most out of your cardio session is the intensity of the workout. This intensity will vary from person to person.

Remember, there are 3 basic tenets of fitness: cardio conditioning, strength conditioning, and a healthy diet. All of these components work hand in hand towards maximum health levels; skip one and the other two will suffer. Excessive cardio will not make you healthier if you skip out on your weight training sessions, and vice versa. And overdoing both of these won’t matter if you don’t eat a balanced diet.

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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