Cardio Fitness Is About Fitness, Not Fitness
When people think of cardiovascular fitness, they often picture a young man with ripped abs and rippling muscles. You can find it on infomercials looking for the latest energy drink, diet pill, or hugely expensive workout equipment. All the while, “You’ll look like me too!” In truth, crash diets and unrealistic exercise routines have very little to do with fitness. True fitness has more to do with physics than physics. So what does Cardiovascular Fitness mean? To answer that question, we need to define it.
The Centers for Disease Control defines cardiovascular fitness as “the body’s ability to take in, transport, and use oxygen.”*1 In other words, does your body use oxygen efficiently? Consider the factors that influence oxygen efficiency.
* How oxygen enters the system
* Oxygen in the bloodstream
* Ware and Tear in the system
*Heart strength
How oxygen enters the system
The air in the room only contains 16% oxygen. As you inhale, oxygen enters your lungs and moves into your bloodstream through gas exchange. However, if you breathe through damaged lungs, the percentage of oxygen absorbed into the bloodstream drops dramatically. On the contrary, carbon dioxide and other waste gases are not effectively exhaled and accumulate in the body.
oxygen in the bloodstream
Blood components called hemoglobin or red blood cells collect oxygen molecules in the lungs and transport them throughout the body. Hemoglobin exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide molecules and then transports them back to the lungs. Along the way, fats, sugars and plaque are also collected. These components are sticky like slime and adhere to the walls of the container. This narrows the passage and causes the walls to become rough and hard, increasing the pressure needed to move blood through the narrow openings. This stresses the heart as it struggles to keep up with the increased blood pressure.
Merchandise and tare in the system
From the moment you were conceived until you died, your heart is in motion. Beating an average of 80 beats per minute, 4,800 beats per hour, 115,200 beats per day, and 42,076,800 beats per year all without a break. After 50 years, your heart will beat an average of 2,103,840,000 times without rest. Preventative maintenance is a key element in keeping your body running smoothly and feeling great.
heart strength
All muscles share one thing in common. If you don’t use it: you will lose it. If you don’t exercise your heart muscle, it can lose muscle tone, becoming weak and enlarged. Your heart can no longer pump effectively. As oxygen levels drop, the body reacts by shutting off circulation to the extremities. Symptoms can include confusion, cold extremities, and shortness of breath.
To avoid this ripple effect, the American Heart Association in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine recommend the following guidelines. “For adults ages 18 to 65, at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 5 days a week.”*2 You can select the activity and when.
What does Cardio Fitness mean? It is the health of the entire cardiovascular system that ensures the best efficient use of oxygen. As with any great endeavor, it all starts with the first step. So, what are you waiting for?
Starting
* Let your doctor know that you are beginning a cardiovascular conditioning program. Your doctor can give you some perimeters to start with and some reasonable goals to work towards.
* Choose a program or activities that you enjoy.
Your program must include FIT*3
Frequency (number of times per week)
Intensity (the speed or workload of an activity)
Time (duration of each session)
* Now gather your support team who will encourage you not to put it down.
* Then write in a journal your experiences, successes and achievements. Seeing how far you’ve come will inspire you to keep going for the rest of your long, happy and healthy life.