Hoping to get the most from their workouts, people often want to know what the best cardiovascular (CV) activity is. The answer is simple: there really is no "best" CV exercise. All types have benefits, and no one exercise is a magic pill that will produce greater results than the others.
Although some differences exist between CV modalities, the benefits to your body are essentially the same. It's important is to know your options, determine what you like to do and get moving. Any CV exercise is better than none.
Different Types of Cardiovascular Activities
Cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise is any continuous activity that gets your heart working and can be sustained from 15 to 60 minutes or beyond. It generally uses large muscle groups, such as the legs, hips and glutes, but some activities, including swimming and cross-country skiing, engage the entire body.
Common CV activities include walking, jogging, cycling and hiking. You don't need to belong to a health club to participate in CV activity, but sometimes the equipment there can give you even more options. These include stairclimbing, rowing and elliptical cross-training (a machine combining the motion of a stairclimber and a skier with your feet move in an elliptical shape). Aerobic classes generally provide lots of CV choices as well.
Two main differences exist among different CV exercises: whether they are weight-bearing and whether they engage the entire body.
Weight-bearing: With a weight-bearing exercise, your feet and legs support your body weight. Running, walking, jogging, dancing, stair climbing and rope jumping are examples. These types of exercise are great for strengthening your bones.
Non weight-bearing: Here, the body is supported during exercise, as in bicycling, rowing and swimming. Because these exercises are non-impact (you are not carrying your body weight), they tend to be easier on your back, knees and other joints. As a result, they can have a lower risk of injury than weight-bearing exercises.
Total-body: Clearly, exercises that use your entire body, including some elliptical cross-trainers, rowing, skiing and swimming, work more muscle groups than those that use the lower body only, such as running and cycling. One type isn't necessarily better than the other; they simply are different.
Mix it Up
Figure out what you like to do. If you hate cycling, you don't have to do it. If you love swimming and have access to a pool, then that may be the best activity for you.
Because there is no ideal CV exercise, your best bet is to vary your workouts so you don't get bored and so your body doesn't become too accustomed to doing your chosen exercise day in and day out. Over time, the body becomes more efficient at performing repeated activities, so you end up burning fewer calories if you continue the same exercise at the same intensity level for months.
So run or walk outside one day. For your next workout, try a CV videotape. Then swim laps the next time or take an aerobics class at a local fitness center. This is called cross-training.
Cross-training doesn't mean you can never do the same workout. Certainly, you will have your favorite activities. But for optimal fitness, you should vary your routine instead of just running five days each week, for example.
Then again, if running is the only CV exercise that you enjoy and will do consistently, then go for it. Again, it's better to stay consistent with any exercise than participate inconsistently or not at all.
The Bottom LineCV exercise is just one element of a balanced fitness program. For the best overall conditioning and results, establish a regular CV routine and then include strength training and stretching.
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