CRNA Fitness: Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardio is probably the most common form of structured exercise in America.

In the 1960’s Dr Kenneth Cooper, the founder of The Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX, introduced aerobic exercise to the fitness world and made cardio a common household word.  Cooper soon after became crowned the “king of hearts.”

Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise is any structured exercise that elevates the heart rate for a sustained period of time such as jogging, power walking, elliptical training, treadmill walking, and lifecycle pedaling and is essential to any quality fitness program.  Not only does aerobic exercise strengthen the heart, it raises the metabolism, which burns calories, which helps you lose or maintain weight, not to mention releasing feel-good endorphins which makes you feel good to be around.  And you’ll notice that someone who has just completed a cardio work-out doesn’t usually slouch out the gym door..they hustle out.  Cardio is better than Boost for raising your level of energy and it’s lower in calories, too.

To get the most out of your cardio, allot a specific amount of time, start out a tad slowly, then pick up the pace, sustaining a challenging speed for the majority of the work-out. Turn on your i-pod or watch a video flick, but take mental time to focus on form and breathe smoothly, with rhythm.  Did I mention water?  Drink before, drink during, drink after.  You do not need any beverage other than cool water for normal work-outs.  Remember, you’re trying to burn calories, not drink them.  Allow a two to five-minute gradual cool down, wipe up the sweat and stretch.  It’s okay to stretch before the session begins, but you won’t be warm enough to do a great job of it.  Better to simply be fully awake, get a few calories from an orange or tiny bowl of oatmeal, get partially hydrated and “hit the road.”  If you’re really slow at getting warmed up, you can stop after five minutes to stretch before continuing, especially if you’re on pavement, otherwise, five to ten minutes of long leisurely stretching following your cardio is ideal.

Stay off the pavement if you have bad knees, wear padded pants if you cycle, don’t carry anything heavy when you power walk, make like a camel for all cardio, and burn, Baby, burn.  You, too, can be crowned the King and Queen of Hearts.

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