Benefits of Cardio Exercise

By Jay Blahnik, member of Nautilus Institute™ Advisory Board and Wayne Westcott, Nautilus Institute™ Contributing Expert

Cardiovascular activity does so many things to improve your life and quality of your life. It can help you manage your weight, reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, help control diabetes and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. And the beauty is you don't have to work out as intensely as we once thought. Even low level to moderate activity, like walking, can lower your health risk. And you don't even have to do all your activity all at once. If you don't have 30 minutes, try breaking it up to 3, 10-minute walks throughout the day...it can be just as effective and maybe even easier to fit into your life. Remember to choose activity you like when you first get started, and start slow...it won't take long to build up your intensity and time, and it will reduce your risk of injury. Whatever you chose to do, get moving! It all adds up, and you will see and feel the difference in your life! (Jay Blahnik)

Use of Cardio Exercise

• A four-mile walk and a ten-mile cycle provide about the same fitness benefits

• Low impact aerobic programs provide effective and enjoyable conditioning sessions

• Two 15-minute walks are essentially the same as one 30-minute walk (Wayne Westcott)

Benefits of Cardio Exercise

• Aerobic exercise uses calories both during your activity session and after your workout

• One beneficial effect of aerobic training is a slower resting heart rate

• Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise is sufficient for cardiovascular conditioning

• Regular endurance exercise, such as aerobic dance, may help maintain desirable blood pressure (Wayne Westcott)