Cardio 101
Benefits of Cardiovascular Fitness

A cardio workout is any exercise that increases your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a sustained period of time.

Cardiovascular fitness...

Helps you maintain or lose body fat
Strengthens your heart and lungs so they don't have to work so hard
Reduces stress
Reduces your risk of heart attacks and strokes
Reduces your risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease
Helps you have more energy to do everything you have to do in your day...and who doesn't want that?!

The key to a good cardio fitness plan is to pick something you enjoy that will get your heart rate up. There is no one particular activity that is better than another. The best exercise for you is the one you'll enjoy and stick with.

If you're planning to train for a specific event like a 5K, then you'll want to plan your cardio based on preparation for that but, in any case, variety, or cross training, is important. Even if you're using only one type of machine or exercise, you can still add variety. You don't have to run the same 3 mile loop or do the same elliptical program every day! You can change effort levels or do intervals or change any aspect of the exercise just a little. Don't overthink it, just do something!