When trying to lose weight, a good nutrition program alone may not be enough. A balanced diet supported by cardio exercises and regular sleep accelerates your weight loss process. You can also feel more energetic in your daily life by adding regular sports to your life. You can gain the strength you are looking for for different activities thanks to cardio exercises. You can relax physically and psychologically by exercising regularly. It offers an extremely effective method to relieve your stress during the day by organizing your sports life.
The cardiovascular system describes the circulatory system, which includes the heart and vessels. Cardio is the abbreviation of this word. Cardio exercises also work the circulatory system, as the name suggests. It accelerates breathing and makes the heart pump blood faster. It also strengthens the heart, veins and lungs. Cardio exercises are also preferred exercises for weight loss. With these studies, you can lose weight by burning fat in your body.
In fact, many activities during the day can be considered as sports activities because they provide physical movement. Similarly, activities that increase the heart rhythm are also included in cardio exercises. We can summarize cardio as movements that continue rhythmically and accelerate the heart. These exercises that we often encounter in daily life are:
- brisk walking
- Running
- Skipping rope
- Swimming
- Sports such as tennis, volleyball
- Ride a bike
- Do not dance
What does cardio do?
Cardio movements, which strengthen the metabolism by accelerating the circulatory system, have different benefits compared to other exercises. The aim here is to have a healthy and fit body rather than dense muscle mass. We can list the benefits of cardio movements that you can apply to lose weight as follows:
- Regulation of blood pumping with strengthening of the heart
- Ensuring the body gets enough oxygen
- Preventing health problems such as atherosclerosis
- strengthening the bones
- Increasing sleep quality and providing a positive effect on sleep patterns
- Contributing to fat burning
- Reducing stress and keeping the individual away from problems such as depression
- Prevention of blood pressure related diseases
- Increasing body resistance
- Contributing to muscle development
- Making the person feel more vigorous and happy
If you are doing sports to shape and define your muscles, you can include cardio movements in your program. For prominent muscles, the proportion of fat in the body should be reduced. You can also complete the warm-up and stretching process with cardio training before heavy exercise programs. With the acceleration of blood circulation, you can prepare your body for higher-tempo exercises.
What are cardio starter moves?
Cardio training is basically divided into two headings. The first of these is light-paced cardio (LISS), a type of training in which the tempo is constant. These workouts are usually done for 45 minutes or 1 hour. Cycling or brisk walking are examples of this type of cardio. As the exercises are at a light to moderate pace, they are usually not tiring. However, it needs to be done regularly over a long period of time to burn calories. At the same time, with these exercises that you can relieve stress, you can work without wearing out your muscles.
The second type of cardio is called high-intensity interval cardio (HIIT). In this type of cardio, different tempos are maintained intermittently. Exercising and resting in the gym or at home are examples of this type of cardio. HIIT counts as cardio because the pace is constantly changing in sports competitions. This type of cardio allows you to burn more calories in a short time. However, it can be challenging for individuals who are not accustomed to sports. In order to do this type of training, it is recommended that you first check with a doctor. You should not have any health problems that would interfere with your exercise. Similarly, it is recommended to get support from experts when creating a training program.
Low or medium-paced exercises are recommended for cardio initial movements. If you are new to sports, you can increase your endurance over time with activities such as brisk walking or swimming. You can start the exercises you do at home with 8-10 repetitions and 2-3 sets. In the first stage, there are many exercises that you can do with your own body weight.
What are cardio exercises at home?
It is possible to do cardio exercises without going to the gym. You can implement various training programs in a small space at home. You can do sports in a comfortable environment by choosing comfortable sports clothes. At this point, by using a sports mat, you can reduce sound problems and prevent health problems that may arise from hard floors.
First of all, you can easily start cardio exercises with movements that you can do with your own body weight. There are many exercises that can be practiced practically without using tools. In advanced stages, using extra weight may be preferred to develop your muscles. For people who are new to sports, 3-4 days a week and 1 hour of work a day will be sufficient. For the development of muscles, the rest period is as important as their work. Cardio exercises you can do at home can be listed as follows:
- With skipping rope, you can burn 400 calories in half an hour at moderate pace.
- You can increase your body’s resistance with the plank movement.
- You can increase your heart rate and exercise your leg muscles with butt kicks exercise.
- You can actively work the muscles in the abdominal area with the sit-up movement.
- Mountain climbers exercise activates the abdominal, shoulder and leg muscles.
- With the Burpee, an average-weight person can burn about 300 calories in half an hour.
- Lunge exercise allows you to burn 275 calories in 30 minutes while working your legs.
- Many muscles can be worked at the same time with the squat. It also tightens the buttocks and legs.
- While jumping jack works all the muscles in the body, it causes you to burn an average of 100 calories in 10 minutes.
How should cardio exercisers be fed?
In order to see the effects of sports on your body, you need to pay attention to your diet. With the support of experts, you can create a nutrition program suitable for your sport. When doing sports is as important as eating a balanced and healthy diet. If you want to lose weight by doing cardio, the calories you take in a day should be less than the calories you burn. Therefore, the nutrition program and the exercise program can be designed together. You can reach the program that will take you there by deciding on the result you want to achieve. Regardless of your expectations from sports, you can protect your health first and then reach your goals.
It is recommended to consume healthy carbohydrates and protein in pre-cardio nutrition. You need to complete the main meal 3-4 hours before the exercise. 30-60 minutes before exercise, you can store energy with light foods such as fruit. In post-cardio nutrition, you should consume enough water to prevent excessive water loss. Again, you should reduce your fat consumption and consume protein and carbohydrate-based foods.