Exercise should be an essential part of your daily activities. It is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that your body is running in top condition. Planning should always precede an effective and efficient exercise plan. We may be spending so much time in the gym and yet getting very minimal results. We need not spend more than an hour of exercise everyday to attain its benefits. Here are some helpful tips to enhance cardio exercises.
Go slow first. Do not attempt to begin your workout doing fast cardio exercises. Increase your pace gradually for approximately 20 minutes. This is the time it would take to sufficiently warm up your muscles. To enhance your cardio exercise on the treadmill, alternate jogging for 3 minutes and running for 30 to 60 seconds. Keep this up for at least 30 minutes and build on it. Use the treadmill incline to work the large muscles of your legs. This is a powerful way of burning more calories. Another tip is to avoid gripping the treadmill handrails. Touching the handrails for balance is fine but holding on will reduce the calories you burn. You can try decreasing your intensity until you get used to running without handrails.
Do your exercises regularly. Aim for 5 to 6 days of cardio exercises weekly. It takes time to appreciate the results of exercise. Be patient. Make exercise as enjoyable as possible. Exercise is supposed to make your body relax, so take the time to choose the music that you would like to listen to while exercising. Try to schedule your daily exercise at a time that you’re least likely to be disturbed. Make sure that exercise is something you look forward to. This way you will be more likely to stick to your exercise plan. Do stretching exercises before and after every workout. This increases flexibility, elongates the muscle and may minimize muscle soreness afterwards. Make sure that you warm up for at least 20 minutes before stretching.
Eat right. For your exercise program to work effectively, it needs a well balanced diet plan. You need to eat foods with the most nutrients but contain the least amount of calories. Your diet should include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy products and protein sources such as meat. Drink water. The importance of proper hydration cannot be stressed enough when it comes to exercise. Drinking adequate amounts of water ensures that you are replacing the fluids that you’re losing through sweat. Proper hydration also maintains your energy levels and enhances exercise.
These are just some of the tips that you can use to enhance your cardio exercises. You need not spend so many hours on the treadmill or stationary bikes to get the results you need. Aim for maximum results in minimum time.
