Cardio Vascular Fitness – Key to Weight Loss ?

Weight Loss     

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There is so much talk about the cardiovascular system what exactly is it ?
Your heart and the various arterial components of the heart make up the cardiovascular system. The majority of the functions that this one system does keeps us alive and is by far the most important system when it comes to body functioning.

The heart is, but, a muscle that works the most and this, like all other muscles in the body, needs to be strengthened to keep it going. There is thus this need for cardiovascular exercises that are intended for this particular system.

What are the various exercises that qualify as the cardiovascular exercises ?
Exercises can be broadly classified into two types, namely, Aerobic Exercises and Anaerobic Exercises. Aerobic exercises, as the name suggests, are involves with the strengthening the oxygen system in the body and are generally referred to when we talk about CV exercises.

These exercises work towards increasing the metabolism rate of the body by increasing the capacity of the heart to use oxygen. These exercises also help increase the endurance level, giving you enough capacity to carry on working for a prolonged period of time. The rule of the thumb in cardiovascular exercise is that one has to increase the heart rate to about 65% to 75%.

Can I lose weight while doing aerobic exercises ?
Aerobic or CV exercises are great for weight loss. The methodology involves consistent work on you to have a proper loss in weight and not to over exert yourself. Aerobic exercises can be done over a longer period of time and thus terming them as low intensity work outs , while the ones that are done for a shorter period of time but involve a consistent and strong workout are known as high intensity workouts.

To explain it more clearly one may term cycling and swimming as a low intensity workout while jumping rope can be a high intensity workout. The major difference between these two is that the low intensity workout focuses on burning the excess fat and side by side also building upon the endurance while the high intensity workouts burn more calories in a shorter span of time. High intensity workouts are recommended only for people who have already attained a level of endurance and not for the novice who is just starting out.