aerobic conditioning

Fitness Outside the Box: Elliptical + Bodyweight = Results

In the next installment of Outside the Box - we use 5 basic exercises with an elliptical trainer.  The 5 exercises are push ups, squats, crunches, burpees and parachute jumpers. The workout will consist of 3 minutes of elliptical trainer in the following sequence 1 min slow 1 min fast 1 min slow coupled with 4 simple body weight exercises to be performed in a circuit fashion. Warm up:  Get on the elliptical trainer for 3-4 minutes, then get off and do some light stretching.  Warm up with 15 jumping jacks 20 body weight squats and 10 push ups.  Then get ready, the workout is about to begin. First Circuit: Push Up 20 reps, Parachute Jumpers 20 reps, and 25 squats, followed by the 3 min sequence on the elliptical trainer and 1 min rest Second Circuit 20 squats, 10 burpees, 15 push ups, 25 crunches,  3 min Elliptical sequence and one minute of rest Third Circuit 10 push

Why is Cardio Exercise So Important?

Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart, blood cells and lungs to supply oxygen-rich blood to the working muscle tissues and the ability of the muscles to use oxygen to produce energy for movement. This type of fitness is a health-related component of physical fitness that is brought about by sustained physical activity. A person’s ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles is affected by many physiological parameters, including heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and maximal oxygen consumption. Understanding the relationship between cardiorespiratory endurance training and other categories of conditioning requires a review of changes that occur with increased aerobic, or anaerobic capacity. As aerobic/anaerobic capacity increases, general metabolism rises, muscle metabolism is enhanced, hemoglobin rises, buffers in the bloodstream increase, venous return is improved, stroke volume is improved, and the blood bed becomes

The Positive Impact of Morning Workouts

Morning workouts make the day go by much easier than not exercising when you wake up. People who work out in the morning have a confident edge that radiates off of them throughout the day. Those of you who exercise before you go to work know exactly what I am talking about and to those of you reading this who don't work out in the morning, give it a shot, you may just like it.  The worst that can happen is that you absolutely can't stand exercising in the AM because you are just not a morning person no matter how hard you try. However, the potential upside is that you surprise yourself and you really enjoy working out in the morning and you become fascinated with the new lively feeling you have after a nice run in the crisp morning air during sunrise. It can be really enjoyable.

Sarah's Fitness Blog #7!

I haven’t blogged for a while. Quick back story so that in case you’re new to reading this blog you won’t have to scroll down too far. My husband and I began our exercising program because about a year ago he had to have open heart surgery and a triple bypass. We researched all the exercise equipment by joining a gym first—finding out, also, how easy it was to skip the gym when time got short or the weather turned bad. Finally we bought a standard upright bike because my husband liked that the best. I liked the recumbent, but it was most important to get something he would be sure to use. We bought it (thanks, Kings of Cardio!) and we both began a very decent exercise program at home. But then, a month ago, he began to have a slight shortness of breath again, and went back to his cardiologist, who set him up the next week with a stress test, the kind where they make you work your heart to its li

Sarah's Fitness Blog: Personal Rewards for Fitness Achievements, The International Campaign to Ban Land Mines and More!

Reward Yourself For Working Out! We all know the game of rewarding ourselves with a treat for doing our exercising. Maybe you say: For an hour of fast walking I get to have a half scoop of ice cream. Or I can have one of those donuts at the office that Betty brings in every Friday if I workout on my Cross-Trainer three times this week. I even have a friend who pays herself, sets aside ten bucks for every hour she spends on her fitness program, then buys herself a treat at the end of the month. It makes sense to reward yourself if that helps you get it done, but maybe not sense to reward yourself with food. And in the case of my friend, well she would end up spending that money on herself anyway. So here’s a flip on the idea: if rewarding yourself makes you want to do your exercise more often because it gives you that bit of motivation, how about upping the ante, making it worth something so special that you really want to make sure you do it. How about m

Elliptical Cross-Trainers vs Treadmills

Cardiovascular fitness training is necessary for optimal health. Our bodies benefit from running but running on hard surfaces can do more harm than good to our body. For example, many runners have beat up their knees, ankles, hips, back and other body parts from indiscriminately running outside on rough, hard, pavement. Treadmills can be the source for bodily aches and pains as well. Frequent running on a treadmill can become stressful on your body and even worse, the pressure applied to your joints can build up and cause severe pain, strictly limiting your ability to run for long distances. Stair climbers can put an enormous amount of pressure on your joints too. Running outdoors on anything other than grass can cause significant damage to our body, just as climbin

Sarah's Health & Fitness Blog #2

The continuing saga of a newbie at the fitness gym. A friend of mine told me that walking was just as good as using any of the machines at the gym that work your legs, and she seems very smart, and I like walking, so I did some experiments. I walked for fifteen minutes at a good clip, then got on a exercise bike. I think it was a Precor c846 series. It was an upright exercise bike. The walking felt good, gave me good energy, and because I walked standing straight up and holding two 3 pound weights, I felt I had worked a little on my abs and my arms. Could the bike do the same? I listened to the same music, even, on my Ipod—Bob Marley, to give me the same beat. I had to lower the seat to the lowest level beca

Exercise Training Program

Total body workouts are necessary in order for us to look and feel our best. Workouts focused on only cardio (running), or solely on strength training (weight lifting), are tremendously less effective than training programs that incorporate both cardiovascular and strength exercises. Benefits of aerobic exercise include reducing blood pressure, strengthening of respiratory muscles, lower stress, improved mental health, healthier circulation, better looking skin and more. Lifting weights is tremendous for your muscle development, healthy bones and looking like an athlete!

Another Day Another Dollar - But Did You Work Out for An Hour?

People sometimes forget the strong correlation that ties together how well we perform at work with how much exercise we do on a daily basis. It has been said that due to the fact exercising releases stress, professionals are much calmer at work after they exercise and therefore work more deliberately without rushing.  Next time you have a really bad day at work, try to exercise for at least a half an hour the next morning before work and see if that next day goes better for you as a result of exercising before hand. The great thing about getting into the groove of working out before or after work every day is that you convince yourself that you must exercise in order to perform your best. As a result, you will turn into someone who actually cares about their health and will look forward to getting better everyday. Always remember, every day you either get better or you get worse. There is no in-between.  Are you determined to get fit? We sure hope so, your hea

Workouts for Women

I have always tried to make time to workout, but finding the time or energy to do so wit my busy schedule, is nearly impossible. I usually carry my gym bag in the trunk of my car so I can stop by the gym after work - or on the go - wherever I may be.  The thought of working out daily is always on my mind, but I have yet to fully realize that notion.  There have been times when I am excited to go to the gym but after I get out of work and start driving in traffic my energy is drained and all I want to do is get home, eat and relax. There have even been times when I get to the parking lot of my nearby health club only to find myself parking, getting out of my car, getting my gym bag, walking a few feet and then walking back to my car and driving off home. The times when I have actually managed to walk inside the gym, I find the machines busy, and that gets me frustrated, leading to an unproductive trip to the gym. Since I usually like to workout to relieve stress and