Conditioning, Conditioning, Conditioning

Conditioning should be the foundation for any fitness program. To achieve complete health benefits from your workouts, you must add a conditioning (cardio) component. Regular cardio exercise will increase your stamina, help with weight loss, decrease your risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure and actually reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Aerobic exercise has also been shown to improve sleep patterns and help with depression.

There are three variables that you should consider when designing your conditioning program:

F.I.T

1. Frequency - is the number of aerobic conditioning sessions per week you do. Six sessions per week causes the best physiological response. However, if you have been sedentary, begin with 2-3 sessions per week and increase gradually for full cardiovascular health benefits.
2. Intensity - is related to the oxygen consumption and the energy demands of your muscles. The intensity at which you exercise is measured in heartbeats per minute (your pulse). For optimum conditioning, the target heart rate range is 65-80 percent of your maximum heart rate.
3. Time - is the amount of time that you maintain the proper intensity of your exercise session. It is recommended that you exercise for 30-50 minutes continuously to achieve the benefits of aerobic conditioning. If you are a beginner, start with 10-20 minutes.

Aerobic exercises usually involve endurance activities, which don't necessarily require excessive speed. More specifically, you need to do exercises that get you breathing, that is continuous and uninterrupted and that uses the big muscles of the thighs and buttocks

Conditioning will not only help you feel better, work better and sleep better, but it offers you the health benefits necessary to help ward off major medical conditions and diseases in the future. Thanks for your ear and keep reading!