Cardio-Good For You-Good For Your Heart The benefits of cardiovascular training are numerous. Cardiovascular training should be engaged in on some level by every person. This doesn't mean that everyone should be striving to become a world famous athlete, just that everyone who does not have a very severe medical condition can benefit from this training, just as everyone benefits from learning how to read even though most people don't want to become writers.



There are several ways to get strong cardiovascular training, but the most effective activity for yielding the fastest and arguably best results is distance running. Running engages the whole cardiovascular system with great intensity and can be sustained over extended periods to maximize its benefits because the muscle groups it primarily uses are those which are the strongest in the body: those within the legs.

One of the great benefits of cardiovascular training, or "cardio", is the strengthening of the heart muscle. Cardio causes the heart to work harder, which in turn causes it to gain strength during recovery periods the same as any muscle does when subjected to physical resistance or stress and then given a period of rest to recover.

A stronger heart is much less likely to experience a heart attack. As the heart is made to work harder, in time it enlarges to allow more blood to flow in and out of it at once to better meet the body's demands. This results in lowered blood pressure, the more efficient use of oxygen by the blood and the body's cells, and in the heart beating more slowly during rest periods such that it is not wearing itself out as quickly over time.

Another wondrous benefit of cardio is that the metabolism speeds up over time. This results in weight loss in people who need it, especially as cardio induces the body to burn more fat faster to feed the heavily working heart; for the heart lives off of fat just as the brain lives off of glucose. This increased metabolism of fat, incidentally, is another way in which the heart is strengthened.

Cardio improves the muscle tone, most directly in the legs and buttocks but actually throughout the entire body. Even the upper body gains strength from running, as research has proven.

The arms of people who run but do not do any cross training are 40% stronger than the arms of people of the same gender and weight class who lead sedentary lifestyles. The fact that the arms need to be held up and at angles and pump somewhat during running, in addition to the heightened blood flow to them, is what accounts for this strengthening.

The back, too, is strengthened by running and cardio workouts, as the posture that must be maintained in the running form acts as a kind of resistance training exercise for the back. This in turn strengthens the spine and the neck.

The lungs are also strengthened by cardio, and this is far more important than most people realize. Many health experts find that up to 70% of the toxins in the body can be expelled by clear, deep breathing--yet, we are a society of shallow breathers. Running gets one into the habit of deep breathing.

Memory capacity, concentration powers, and mood are all heightened by cardio as the increased flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain improves its functioning and naturally induces a heightened sense of well-being and confidence.

All of these benefits of cardiovascular training result in one being better looking, fitter, and sexier, with a better carriage and much less "stressing out", all making for an improved quality of life.