The Importance of Listening to Your Body: During Cardio

For the heart and lungs, cardio is essential to total fitness. However, many people engage in cardio even when they don’t feel up to par. If you have any upper-respiratory symptoms like a cold, cough, or flu, you should not engage in cardiovascular activity as it could make your condition worse. It’s always best to follow your doctor’s advice. If you’re feeling well and cardio is part of your fitness program, then the key is to work up to a moderate amount of cardio doing a type of activity you enjoy. For some people, this activity may be swimming, for others, fencing or jogging. There are dozens more cardio options: handball, stair-climbing, elliptical machines, sprinting, boxing, spinning, step-classes, jumping rope, ladder running, tennis, racquetball, rowing, urban rebounding are just a few. I think it’s important to find a type of cardio that you can make a lifetime sport—that is, a sport you can safely do for the rest of your life.

When conducting your cardiovascular activity, you should literally listen to your body by checking your heart rate. Many cardio machines have heart rate monitors built in. You can also buy wrist watches which check your heart rate. But you don’t need fancy equipment to check your heart rate, you can also do it by simply finding your pulse. Here’s how: Look at a clock and count the number of times your heart beats for 6 seconds. Multiply that number by 10, and you have your heart rate. Your heart rate should be somewhere between 55-75% of your maximum heart rate. To determine your maximum heart rate, or V02 max, take 220 and subtract your age. For example, I’m 31 years old, so my V02 max is 189 beats per minute. Therefore, my heart rate should be somewhere between 103 and 141 beats per minute during my cardio session.