Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Workout Wednesday #8

Today's Post:
     Cardio activity is important for many health reasons, and at the same time, is something that is despised by nearly everyone who works out at any level.  We have all heard the good things that come from jogging every day, such as strengthening your heart and reducing fat, which is something that most everyone wants to do, but most who you hear about doing cardio always say it is difficult for them to do.  Because of this, even though it is good for ones health, you may not see the results of your hard work right away and fall back to thinking that it just isn't working out for you and end up leaving you frustrated.  Some simply quit at what they are doing early on or just end up doing it every day but hating it every time they do it.
Even the celebs do it!

Some Benefits of Cardio:
  • Doing cardio, especially something like jogging or walking, is a way of reducing stress which can in turn help out those who have hectic work or school schedules and it will help prevent a meltdown of stress.  Next time you are stressed from a heavy work load you have coming up and you need to clear your mind you can try taking a walk to just clear your head before you have to go at all of the work you have to do.
  • Cardio also helps with preventing heart disease in many ways and it helps you strengthen your lungs.  Working out constantly with a higher heart rate helps strengthen your heart but to you do not have to really have to go too hard at your cardio for this.  You could simply just walk around your neighborhood or a light jog will also do here.  Strengthening your lungs is important since you will not be out of breathe as easy when working out intensely.
  • Another great benefit of doing cardio is weight control and weight loss.  This is the main reason many folks begin to do cardio.  For those training to maintain their weight, taking a jog or going for a run is something that is easy enough to do and beginning for them isn't too difficult.  On the other hand, for those trying to loose weight this is one of the hardest things to do and keep at.
My Beginnings 
     For me, jogging has always been a hassle just as much as my weight has been a hassle.  Every time i attempted to begin exercising, I would do great for about a week or so but then I would gradually stop doing what I was doing because either it got too difficult or I simply lost motivation to keep going.  Results never really came for me right away and even when I did see results I would stop once I saw them and immediately I would regain any weight I had lost.
      Cardio never really got incorporated into my workouts until I had been weight lifting for about a year.  It never really became easier for me by having been working out before even after my weight lifting training it wasn't easy.  I had started gaining weight and fat again even though I lifted weights for about an hour or so a day 6 days a week and I stopped making gains on my strength.  The thing I was missing was having a regular cardio schedule to follow.
     When I began my cardio schedule I simply began by jogging on a treadmill but sadly I only was able to jog for about 4 minutes and then I walked for another 6 minutes before I was completely exhausted.  This went on for about a week and then slowly but surely I was able to jog a bit more each day.  Eventually I was able to jog for 10 full minutes and walk for another 10 but I started to loose interest in the cardio.  It got to the point where I would start to skip a jog every other day and I almost stopped completely.  But then I decided I had enough of giving up and wanted to finally have some real results and to this day I have managed to keep doing cardio on a regular basis.

My Secret to Succeeding:
     I finally realized what I had been doing wrong all along; I was setting myself up for failure but going into my workout dreading it before it even started.  The first thing I started on, was switching up the cardio workout I do so I could try to prevent myself from dreading the workout.  Each day instead of just running on a treadmill for 20 minutes each day I would try riding the bikes at the gym or would go on the elliptical.  Eventually it became routine for me to try to find a new way for me to do cardio and now instead of simply running on an elliptical, I like to go jogging outside, taking my dog for walks up on the hillside around here, and other variations many workouts.  If you find that cardio just is too repetitive, or you just dread doing it, find something you like doing and do it.  It sounds corny but if you constantly keep trying new things for cardio you will realize that it is just getting more and more easy for you to do. 

    12 comments:

    1. <3 exercise, I'm actually about to go to the gym in just a few minutes!

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    2. thanks for your information. good work! follow you

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    3. Variety is the spice of life they say! It keeps us motivated when it comes to exercise!

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    4. Cardio makes you poop. Is that true? Well, the walking --> bowel movement thing true?

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    5. it does actually speed up your metabolism if thats what you mean lol.

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    6. For me, it's all about the music. Loading up new stuff on my crappy sandisk and poppin' on the headphones then headin' out.

      For the longest time I was simply jogging and running in boots (which is a pretty bad thing for a guy my size), but then I switched up to ankle wraps and a proper set of running shoes and BAM - a whole new world opened up for me.

      I miss it, but now that I'm walking again I'm workin' on my way to get to the point where I can at least jog without feeling like my left leg seizes up. Just gotta keep gettin' my knee to be flexible...

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    7. Interesting post, but I am to lazy/busy.

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    8. Hey dude. Found your blog by browsing around some profiles. You seem sympathetic, I'll follow you for a while!

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    9. Great post. I prefer doing cardio outdoors rather than in a gym too, biking or running on the beach with the dog is so much more fun than a treadmill.

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    10. I do love cardio. It's most of what I do.

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    11. I run 5k every day. Never been healthier!

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