By Lindsay Maurer, EP
Have you ever wondered if there is a way to make sure that you’re getting the most kick butt, fat busting workout around? If so, you’re part of a large group of people who are sick and tired of plodding along on their cardio machines only to realize that they are not being as efficient as they could be. Follow these easy steps to not only enjoy cardiovascular exercise but also burn more calories from fat.
Choose an activity that you like. Although this may sound a little obvious to some, most people completely miss the boat on this idea due to belief that one cardio activity may be better than the other. If it gets your heart rate up, DO IT. Choose from walking outside, elliptical training, running on a treadmill, cycling, anything. Decide on your weapon of choice and go for it!
Choose some motivation. Studies show that a person who listens to music and focuses on their exercise versus reading or watching television will burn more calories in a cardiovascular session. Whether it’s rap, hip hop, classical, country, or pop turn up the tunes and prepare for the best workout that you’ve ever had.
Make sure that you’re not working too hard . When the body exercises it needs to adapt to whatever you’re using to challenge it. Too many will treat cardiovascular exercise like a sprint when it should be treated more like a marathon. Too high of an intensity level too fast will take your cardio from aerobic to anaerobic. “WHAT!” you might say. Yes, anaerobic exercise can happen during your cardio workout.
Strictly speaking, the terms “aerobic” and “anaerobic” refer to the presence and absence of oxygen. Most of our cells prefer to get their energy by using oxygen to fuel metabolism. During exercise with adequate fuel and oxygen (i.e., aerobic), muscle cells can contract repeatedly without fatigue. During anaerobic or non-oxygen conditions (i.e., higher intensity exercise), muscle cells must rely on other reactions that do not require oxygen to fuel muscle contraction. This anaerobic metabolism in the cells produces waste molecules that can impair muscle contractions. This deterioration in performance will lead to fatigue. Fatigue causes you to experience added discomfort and weakening muscles. Eventually you will need to slow down and lower your exercise intensity. Slowing down allows the muscles to once again rely solely on aerobic metabolism and support the removal or chemical conversion of waste molecules. Simply put, take the time to warm up and pace yourself.
Access your fat stores. In order to burn more fat, we need to know how to access it. Simply put, carbohydrates will provide energy for most moderate to vigorous intensity activities performed for shorter periods of time while fats provide energy for those activities for the long term. Determining these levels of intensity down to a beats per minute heart rate requires some help from a fitness professional. Generally, if you perform cardiovascular exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes at a pace that noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing rate, makes you sweat, allows you to carry on a conversation but doesn’t allow you to sing, you’re there.
Don’t stick to the same exercise or the same amount of time. Your body thrives on change. Do the same thing all the time and not only you get bored but also your body stops responding as it adapts! Cycle three different cardiovascular activities that you like throughout the week… In addition, feel free to do some days of 20 minutes at a very challenging pace and other days of 45 minutes at a more moderate level. Variety is the spice of life!
Lindsay Maurer is the staff Exercise Physiologist at the Integrative Medicine Center. Lindsay is passionate about the correlation between exercise and overall health and is excited to be a part of the IMC where lifestyle changes are incorporated into the care plan of every patient. Lindsay provides simple, valuable, and fun programs built for success.
