If you are one of those who are fed up with brisk walking or jogging on a tread mill or who envy the vigor and active lifestyle of kick boxers, those strong and firm muscles that makes everyone stare twice, thrice or probably has lost their count. People nose around them all the time, trying to be by their side and admire their physique. Nonetheless, physique is not the only reason but health as well. Kickboxing is a complete and total body work out.

Let us trace its humble beginning…

Kickboxing is both an art and sport that has been refined by old traditional systems. The kicks came from ancient Asian countries like Korea, Japan, China and Thailand. Nonetheless, Western kickboxing was derived from Karate. The latter means empty hand thus, this kind of defense is an unarmed contact.

Time made kickboxing more appealing, fun and healthier. In fact, new cardio fitness has captured a multitude’s passion.

Here comes the hottest fitness these days… Cardio kick-boxing!

Cardio kick-boxing is a high energy sport that incorporates boxing, martial arts and the grace of aerobics. It is similar to aerobic boxing, Aerobox, Boxaerobics, Boxercise and the likes. With it you can burn as high as 800 calories every hour per session. Isn’t it amazing?

Body-conscious individuals can very well rely on this fat-buster cardio sport. Aside from the ability to burn fats, it also increases strength, speed, flexibility, coordination, balance and sharpens reflexes. Cardio kick-boxing also relieves stress. Imagine your foe in front of you. Punch him. Kick him. Isn’t that soothing?

Cardio kick-boxing is also easy to learn. You just listen to the instructions or watch the techniques in order for you to have an effective and harmless workout. If you are not used to martial arts and aerobics, reserve more patience to carry out cardio kickboxing properly and effectively. Take a break in between sessions. Drink water to replace your lost body fluids.

Self-defense plus good health combined - that’s what cardio kickboxing is all about. It is more than just high kicks, strong impact and safeguarding oneself against harmful societal elements like gangster. It is also a guarantee to good health.

In every activity there are possible drawbacks. In cardio kick-boxing, there is considerable risk of joint injury. This is especially true with beginners. Some of the injuries may happen when locking joints while throwing punches or kicks, exercising beyond fatigue, wearing weights, holding dumbbells and overextending kicks. When doing these activities, considerable assistance and caution must be exercised. In addition, correct form must be used. Timing is another consideration. Third, doing the moves in a smooth and not pressured way may help avoid injuries. Moreover, before you engage in any cardio fitness, consult first your doctor.

Strip your insecurities away. Reinvent yourself and build your confidence and self-esteem. You definitely deserve a break.

Increase your strength, stamina, flexibility, ability to fight stress and grab the chance to defend yourself and others as well in times when a brave being is needed.

Envy no more because you can take advantage of the cardio kickboxing edge in a fun and easy way anytime you want to

The whole losing muscle issue has been over played that it has raised unnecessary hype against aerobic or cardio activities. The truth is, people should not let this scare them into not doing cardio exercises because that would be a whole lot unhealthier. What many people do not realize is that muscle loss is normal & happens, for example, when they are asleep. The fasting period during the time that people sleep is when muscle loss occurs, but that doesn’t mean we should not sleep anymore!

The only way for you to have a scary amount of muscle loss is if you over exercise. But as long as you keep within the recommended length of your aerobics exercise then you are surely within safe limits.

Just remember, the key to a healthier lifestyle is not to shy away from aerobics but to make it a part of your life. Aerobics can enhance your physiological balance because promotes blood flow & oxygen transport to your muscles. Because aerobics supplies constant amount of oxygen, it increases the size & number of your blood vessels.

If you think you are losing muscle mass, it may not be because you are doing cardio exercises. Consider your diet also, because eating inappropriately is unhealthy.

Make sure there is sufficient amount of protein-rich foods in your daily diet because protein is the only nutrient that actually aids in muscle building & rejuvenation. If you are physically active or are considering getting physically active you must make sure that you include protein in your diet, at least .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body fat, in order to avoid large amounts of muscle loss.

Because of the large following of low-carb & no carb diet, some aerobics exercisers combine their workout routine with either of these diet methods. It is alright to cut down on your carbohydrate intake, but you should be aware that you should condition your body & let it adjust to the lower carb intake it will be getting. Drastically cutting down or not having carbs at all may be another cause of muscle loss.

It is important to know that there is a harmonious balance to every fit & healthy body. Making shortcuts to a slimmer figure by starving yourself is very unhealthy. If you are not eating properly & thus do not have enough calories in your body, it means that your body cannot support muscle growth. Your body will go into a “starvation mode”, your metabolism starts to slow down and your body starts to burn muscle tissue to save energy. The muscular organs require a lot of caloric energy to maintain itself that is why the body automatically shuts down & shed off muscle if it senses that you are starving.

To sum it all up, shove away your worries about aerobics causing muscle loss because you are actually more in danger of muscle loss from eating improperly than from doing cardio. Some people expect that a combination of eating less & more cardio exercise is the most effective way to a sexier body but what they do not realize is that along with the fat, they are also losing muscle mass. The best way to a healthy body is to feed it with nutritious food while having cardio exercise at the same time.

Professor Dixie Lee Thompson, exercise physiologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, says it is all that, and more:

After a four-week study of “steppers” and “brisk walkers” Thompson said, “…the 10,000-Steps-A-Day group tended to walk more and to do it more regularly.” Her results showed “…that the pedometer in conjunction with the 10,000-steps recommendation gets inactive people active.”

Washington Post columnist, John Briley, on University of Tennessee’s
10,000-step research, reports the following:

“The researchers noted that the brisk walkers had to block out time for a continuous 30-minute march while the pedometricians were free to walk however long – and whenever – they wanted.”

“Those in the 10,000-step group also were told not to worry about intensity, while the other subjects were told to walk briskly – an order that may have dissuaded some from hitting the pavement on occasion. Perhaps for this reason, four women dropped out of the brisk-marcher group, while none of the step-counters quit.”

10,000 steps a day is considered the equivalent of walking about five miles, depending on the length of your stride. The average person is estimated to walk less than 6,000 steps a day. The number of steps defining “sedentary” is disputed. Some experts believe you are sedentary if you walk 3,000 steps, or less, a day and others define “sedentary” as less than 5,000 steps. The one thing that does not seem to be in dispute is that 10,000 steps a day, most days, is optimal for reasonable good health.

While we are busy, being busy, we are walking. Why not count the steps we take, while we're too busy to exercise, and let them count toward our daily health maintenance? We have to make the effort to add steps, but think of it this way, unless you are on the sofa all day, you've already started.

Cardio exercise does not only mean aerobic dances, there are a lot of recreational sports that can be used as substitutes for these typical workout sessions. Swimming, basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, golfing & skiing are other fun ways to include friends and family in your healthy lifestyle. But as you go and do the all these cardio work, you must keep some safety tips in mind in order to avoid unnecessary injuries.

1. Cardio exercise after a full meal can compromise impairs the delivery of oxygen & nutrients to the muscles defeating one of the essential purposes of doing aerobic exercise, and that is to improve blood flow. Doing physical exertion, not just aerobics, immediately after a meal can cause gastric discomfort like stomach cramps. Food needs time to digest & there should be a good amount of time in between food intake & physical activities in order for this process to take place. Intense workout sessions require more time for digestion than a lighter meal does.\

2. If you live in a tropical area, like sunny California, or if you are doing your cardio during the summer season it is best to wait a couple of weeks before you begin your cardio workout giving your body enough time to acclimatize to the heat. As much as possible, avoid performing aerobic workouts during the hottest parts of the day which is 10am and 4pm, during the summer. Do not forget to drink lots of water before you begin your cardio exercise & continue to drink fluids during the workout. It may be necessary for you to decrease the intensity of your aerobic routine especially if you workout in very hot environments, do not forget to take 10-15 minutes rest for every 45-60 minute cardio.

3. If you are prone to doing jogging in areas near the road or interstate, you may want to consider the rate of pollution & carbon monoxide. Remember that when you are exercising you are taking more breaths than you normally do & your heart is beating faster than it usually does. Breathing in pollutants like carbon monoxide from car exhaust & sulfur dioxide can be easily absorbed by the lungs & may trigger some respiratory ailments such as asthma & bronchitis.

4. Start the cardio exercise right by performing warm-ups & stretching exercises in order to condition the muscles. These initial two steps are very important and should be done during every cardio session. Warm-up & stretching ensures that you do not damage your muscles during the exercise. If you proceed directly to the cardio exercise without doing warm-ups 7 stretching there is a large chance that you might pull a muscle & end up injuring yourself.

Aerobics or cardiovascular exercises are fun & simple methods to weight lose & a sexy, fit body. But in order to achieve these every aerobics or cardio exerciser must make sure that he is exercising correctly & getting the full benefit of a healthy lifestyle.

Tip #1. Do cardio with self-control. – Some people have the urge to over exercise thinking that it brings faster & better results. That is in fact untrue. Studies have shown that 45-60 minutes of cardio burns fat more effectively than two straight hours of intensive aerobics exercise. After 60 minutes, the body actually starts to burn your muscle mass & not your stored body fat! If you think you need more than an hour of cardio work everyday than space it out & do half the work in the morning & another in the evening. That way you are maximizing your metabolism & fat loss.

Tip #2. Choose a cardio activity that is fun for you. – There are plenty of aerobic exercises for you to choose from & you should be able to select one that is fun & interesting for you. Physical activity, like cardio, should be fun & not work for you. The psychological effect is as important as the physical exertion because you will only end up doing the work half-heartedly & therefore getting very little results. Aside from working on machines like the treadmill & the Stairmaster, you can also choose to incorporate aerobic dance or even sports to your routine. For example, if you happen to enjoy swimming then focus on this interest & make it a part of your cardio workout.

Tip #3. Have a clear-cut workout & dietary plan. – Before beginning your cardio routine, you should have a goal in mind. What do you want out of doing cardio? What results do you envision to get from it? Is it weight lose or body shaping? Also, you must bear in mind that to achieve your goal, it is best to include a well-planned diet with your workout. There are a lot of books & websites that can help you figure out the answers to these questions & plot a proper daily dietary schedule.

Tip #4. Know your intensity level. – It is important for you to know that cardio exercises does not only mean fast, fast, fast! Though there are high intensity aerobic exercises such as running & taebo, there are also less intensified aerobic work like swimming & walking. They key to cardio success & more fat loss is the combination of the two with shorter rest periods during the cardio set. The idea is to go from one set to another in quick succession with only 40-60 seconds of rests in between, this way your metabolism is maintained at a certain level.

Tip #5. Cardio first, workout after. – it is not the other way around. Cardio should be done before lifting any weights or working out in the gym. After a good workout, your body is in need of nourishment & this means food. If you still proceed to do more work despite the fact that your body is waiting to be fed, your body will turn on itself & you will start losing muscle mass. This defeats your entire workout objective to be fit & healthy. Remember, being thin doesn’t mean being healthy. For all you know, you may be dropping weight but all you’ve lost is muscle mass & not stored body fat.

Exercising is not a favor you owe someone. You cannot expect to gain anything from a physical activity that you do half-heartedly. If you are slaving over your aerobic routine just because your boyfriend or your girlfriend pushed you to start getting physical and lose weight, then maybe you do not have motivation. Its not that there is anything wrong with encouraging someone to follow a healthy lifestyle, but self-motivation is the most important part of working out. To have a healthy lifestyle entails a lifetime of commitment because you may have to reevaluate everything you did in your life & weed out the bad habits & replace them with healthy ones.

The best thing about doing cardio is that it not only works to get the best out of your body but it also helps to fight against stress & depression. But they key here is to start doing the whole healthy lifestyle concept with the right attitude & the right mindset.

So how does one go through cardio hell? Here are some tips.

1. Psych yourself. – When you feel yourself starting to get discouraged & bored with what you are doing, pull yourself together & don’t let the negative vibe get to you. Control your thoughts when it starts to steer you away & keep your focus on the cardio activity you are doing. Though it may be true that cardio can get boring after a while because of its repetitive nature, you cannot let that get to you. Just keep a mental picture of your lean & sexy body & that should keep you going.

2. Move to the beat – Music is my secret weapon when I start t feel the down days. Nothing beats great rap & R&B music when it comes to keeping the sweat rolling. I just can’t help but get in the rhythm of the song & it’s a great motivator to continue my cardio sets!

3. No matter what happens, don’t look at the timer. – Keeping tabs on the timer is the surest way to discourage you. Feeling like you’ve run for 30 minutes only to find that you’ve barely gone past 10 can be disheartening & can make you reach for the stop button. The best way to avoid that feeling is to avoid timing yourself. Get a stopwatch that has a buzzer. The only moment you stop is when the buzzer goes off, other than that all you should do is work, work and work.

4. Try interval cardio training. Interspersing the intensity & speeds in your workout can be another way to keeping things interesting. Not only that, if you find cardio difficult to do then interval cardio training should be the solution for you. Interval cardio means alternating high intensity & low intensity cardio workouts while using the same duration. For example, you can alternate 5 minutes of walking with 5 minutes of jogging if you find doing the jogging part hard.

Well, you are not the only one in this darn earth who’s like that. The fact is that there are many people around who are limited by their appearance and condition.

There are two viable options available to all of them. The first is to continue same old routine. Sulk and self-pity. On the other hand, you can consider changes and open doors of improvement.

It’s nice to feel confident about yourself. The more confidence you exude, the more you achieve your full potentials. There are always rooms for improvement. Why not reinvent yourself to come up with a brand new you that is ready to face the world with all its complexities and hardships. Pamper and treat yourself like you’ve never done before.

One of the doors of improvement is to improve your health and physique. You can do this by choosing a healthy exercise or program like cardio.

Before you do your cardio consult first your doctor about it. To further make your cardio sessions productive and effective here are some of the valuable things that you need to consider:

1. When you are under a fat loss program, never do cardio on an empty stomach.

2. Another thing that concerns fat loss program is to keep cardio going for at least 30 minutes. This must be done in moderate or high intensity. The reason is that your body consumes fat after a certain time during your cardio.

3. Do stretching first before cardio. Muscles should always be stretched to prepare them for the real action. A good muscle stretch may include quads, hamstrings and claves.

4. Another consideration is your target heart rate. Be sure to monitor your heart during breaks or in between sessions.

5. Start small with cardio. Gradually you can have an increase. The increase will be best when done weekly.

6. Cardio sessions should be done with variations. If not this will create boredom. Vary the forms of cardio. Do some martial arts, rowing, running and the likes to make it more exciting and fun.

7. Switch the intensity during your cardio sessions. Fast, average, moderate or slow. Play with the intensity but seek first the consent of your instructor before you apply it. End the cardio session in a slow or easy pace to condition the muscles to stop exerting too much effort. Moderate intensity cardio is best when done half of the whole exercise session. High intensity cardio should be done for approximately 40 % and low intensity cardio approximately 10%.

8. Another consideration is that cardio and weightlifting should be done with an interval of 8 hours. Rest is still necessary to keep up with the rest of your activities.

9. Never do your cardio right after having your workout. This is because your body needs food and fluids after a good workout. Therefore, you must first attend to your body’s needs in order for it to function well. What will happen when you proceed immediately to another exercise? If only muscles can talk…

These are some of the tips that can help you get back your self-esteem and confidence!

Because of the food being consumed everyday, being not that conscious about health measures, the body feels the toxins that the unhealthy diet gives our body. This is where you start feeling like you tire easily, pants are starting to feel real tight, and yes, your weight is becoming heavier each day.

Then starts depression thinking you’re looking less and less pleasant. Therefore, decisions such as enrolling in gyms and doing the same exercises once seen from our parents like that early morning television guided instructions are suddenly becoming interesting to you.

It’s a good thing, you know, to decide on living healthy. Aerobics actually is not for intense workouts. Aerobics, when consistent can give you the same effect as heavy exercises do. Not that exercise is different from aerobics; it’s just that, there are a lot more options of cardio related workouts to choose from that could be more fun than simply jogging around everyday.

When you have found that type of aerobics, like for example swimming, or dancing and you’re actually having fun: Burning fats won’t be such a burden in the end, only because the procedure is quite pleasurable. I guess that’s the best prescription together with having a healthy diet, a type of aerobic you enjoy doing giving you that enthusiasm to be consistent on it.

It’s not really important that you have bought the best workout machine being sold, it is actually the consistency and commitment on doing the given aerobic activity. Sports is great but if you don’t have that much time to schedule for it, then having easy to follow step aerobic handbooks can guide and give you the same effect.

Stepping up and down one stair step in a rhythm for a given time or minutes when done unfailingly everyday or at least three times a week is a good exercise no matter how simple it may seem. A platform in the middle of a room and easy one-two step on it, like using a block of brick, a short stool or even a crate is a practically money saver.

Who needs expensive body fitness equipments when you can improvise? It would be a lot more fun doing it knowing that others are wasting a lot of money on all these equipments when there you are having the same body fat burning exercise but only with off the cuff materials.

With all these, plus the simple one two steps consistency, in time you’ll start feeling that great change. You’re not just living out on a simple easy to get healthy living; you’re actually looking good with all of it. Keeping it up will give you that great body for more than you could possibly imagine.

1. Low Intensity & Long Duration Cardio – This is the least demanding of all aerobic work and usually involves walking, jogging & cycling among others. This type of cardio involves slow, continuous, easy steps that can be done over an extended time period. Usual exercise time goes more than 30 minutes. Obese people usually have a harder time moving around LI/LD should be appropriate for them because it does not require them to make complicated & rapid movements. To check whether you are coping well with the exercise, you can do the talk test while doing the cardio. If you find it easy to talk even while doing the exercise then you have found your niche.

2. Medium Intensity, Medium Duration – After the body has adjusted & coped with the LI/LD it should be able to easily ease into the program with the nest level of difficulty. MI/MD should be done in sets of no more than 40 minutes as it involves a more cardio work that can increase the maximum heart rate of up to 70%.

3. High Intensity, Short Duration – This type of level demand readiness from the body in order to cope with the rigor of the cardio exercise. The HI/SD cardio can be done anywhere from 5-15 minutes depending on the exerciser’s fitness & endurance at 80-85% of his maximum heart rate.

4. Aerobic Interval Training – This involves doing cardio exercise from a high intensity level & then moving to a lower intensity & then back again. For example, you can do 3 minutes of running alternated with 1 minute of walking & repeated 4 or 5 times.

5. Anaerobic Interval Training – Anaerobic Interval training involves doing high intensity cardio for a period of time & then resting or doing low intensity work for the same duration. An example is sprinting for 30 seconds, walking for 30 seconds, sprinting again for 30 seconds & so on until the cycle is repeated 5 times. It aims to reach 85-100% of the maximum heart rate.

6. Fartlek Training – Fartlek training is a Swedish technique that incorporates all the aforementioned cardio types into a single session. This means that you can run for 5 minutes, walk for 5 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, walk slowly for 2 minutes & then run again for another two minutes. The Fartlek technique is a great way to trick your metabolism into working harder at burning fat and it also is an interesting & different way of doing an otherwise boring routine.

7. Cardio Circuit Training - a type of cardio exercise where the individual completes one set of exercise & immediately proceed to the next set in rapid succession & with hardly any rest. You can do this exercise with or without the use of equipments, in which case of course the motions will have to vary. In the gym, you can plan out your entire session by including different exercises that target different parts of your body like leg curls or pulldowns. When going from set to set, it is important that one of the key characteristics of cardio circuit training is its emphasis on continuously doing your exercises with only 30-60 second pauses in between.

If you are somewhat of a potato couch who does physical work only when it is absolutely necessary, then you should go for a low intensity cardio & let your body adjust to its new routine before going into the rotisserie for some cardio roasting.

Now that that is settled, the inevitable question begs to be asked---What is the cardio workout plan that really works? For fast results, you should be ready to make your life a living hell for the first few weeks. Highly intense cardio workout really reaps its rewards and when you see the end results, you will not regret that you woke up at 5 am just to make your body sore the whole day!

To achieve the best results, it is best to include variety & progressing intensity to your cardio workout plan. This means that you may switch from a different type of cardio exercise every couple of weeks to not just keep it fun & interesting but also to keep your muscles from getting lazy. Aside from that, it is also important to increase the intensity & duration of your cardio exercise the longer you do aerobics in order to maximize your physical progress, stamina growth & resistance development. Most importantly, low intensity cardio exercise should still be kept part of the whole workout plan as it is most useful in interval trainings that help the metabolism going & burning away!

A well-recommended cardio workout plan involves anaerobic interval training which makes use of immediate high-impact cardio which is suddenly reduced to low-impact cardio & can be done with the same or different durations. For example, full blast running for 2 minutes & then slowing to a walk for 1 minute & then sprinting again to a full run for another 2 minutes & then going back once more to a 1 minute walk & then repeating all these for 10-20 minutes.

You can choose the cardio activity that suits you best as long as you stick to the workout plan given to you. You should be aware that you should always include warm-ups & stretching before you begin your training, especially since you will be involved in some high-intensity activities than can be potentially harmful if not done with strict caution to the rules of cardio exercising. There is no shortcut to achieving a great body. In order to be trim you must be willing to do the work the right way.

The great thing about interval training is that it’s so brief yet it gives you the same results as other cardio exercises that takes twice the time to do. So if you’ve given up on cardio workouts because you cannot find time to include it in your hectic schedule then maybe you its time to try interval training. Just think about it, you are closer to a sexier & healthier body at half the time it would usually take most people! Interval training really works!

Cardio is a medical term for the heart. It came from the Greek word kardia. Greeks used K. It is the very reason why K is used in EKG or electrocardiogram. Cardio is also used to refer to exercises and equipments used in cardiovascular and aerobic exercises.

One of the most dreadful cardio illnesses we have these days is cardiac tamponade. It is otherwise known as pericardial tamponade or tamponade alone is a condition where there is a compression of the heart. This compression is caused by the accumulation of blood or fluid in between myocardium and pericardium. The former is the muscle of the heart and the latter is the outer covering sac of the heart. Blood or fluid accumulates in the pericardium. This situation will thwart the ventricles from expanding fully. As a result, the heart will not be able to adequately pump blood.

Pericarditis is oftentimes linked with cardiac tamponade. The former is a condition caused by viral or bacterial infections. Aside from pericarditis, heart surgery wounds to the heart, end-stage of lung cancer, dissecting aortic aneurysm and acute myocardial infarction can all lead to cardiac tamponade. Other possible causes are heart tumors, heart attack, radiation therapy to the chest, systemic lupus erythematosus, hypothyroidism and the likes.

Tamponade can be fatal. However, if treated promptly it can be cured. Nonetheless, there is still a possibility of its recurrence. That is how life-threatening this cardio illness can be.

Tamponade is also rampant. In fact, 2 out of 10,000 persons are affected by this malady.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of cardiac tamponade like restlessness, anxiety, discomfort, fainting, chest pain, palpitations, difficulty in breathing, rapid breathing, skin pale, drowsiness, weak pulse and low blood pressure, consult your physician immediately. He will make certain whether you have a serious cardio illness or not. Cardiac tamponade needs immediate medical attention. Hence, visit your doctor regularly so that illness may not develop into a fatal one. That way it can also be prevented or cured just in the nick of time.

There are no specific cardio tests to diagnose tamponade however, echocardiogram can aid to establish the diagnosis. ECG can also be resorted to note the changes in the body’s wave forms. Also, the physician may require chest x-ray, chest CT/ MRI chest or coronary angiography to show the accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac.

To treat this cardio illness, pericardiocentesis may be necessary. This is a process of draining the fluid around the cardio. Another alternative is cutting or removing part of the pericardium.

In a lot of cases, cardiac tamponade is not preventable. Thus, knowledge about it may increase awareness in connection to its causes, risk factors and treatment.

Still, the best prevention is to live a healthy and sound lifestyle. Exercises like aerobics, cardio kickboxing, karate, walking are goof for your heart. Yoga and other forms of meditations are also good in stabilizing your cardio. Also watch your diet. It is one of the factors why you are frail and susceptible to diseases.

Cardio exercises plus healthy lifestyle and good diet is the formula for a healthy beating heart.

If you are a beginner you must know that cardio work does not merely consist of running, jogging or working the treadmill & the stationary bike. In fact, many aerobics exercises have been developed to cater to the need for variety. But since cardio exercises mean a lot of bodily movement like fast walking, running, stepping & arm stretching; you can also involve yourself in different recreational sports & activities that make use of the same movements & that provides you the same workout benefits.

Cardio exercise does not have to be serious work when it can be so much fun! Aerobics itself has spawned several types of aerobics dances & makes use of different equipment that gives the whole routine a new twist! Cardio exercises such as the slide aerobics & step aerobics make use of slide & stepping equipments to better workout the limbs. Country & funk aerobics on the other hand take advantage of the availability of great danceable music as exercise aids with the whole cardio routine working around hip-hop or country music. Water or aquatic aerobics is a low-intensity cardio exercise that is fast gaining popularity.

Of late, the aerobics benefits of martial arts have been realized & cardio classes riding on the popularity of taebo, kickboxing, jujitsu & the like are fast growing. Taebo & kickboxing are fun cardio exercises that combine play & work. These two self-defense arts require a lot of defensive kicking motions & is a great cardio exercise for the thighs & the glutes. Though most of the motion looks as though it is mostly centered on the lower torso, the upper body is also given aerobic workout as it twists & tightens along with the punching & kicking movements.

If you do not have a lot of time to waste on lengthy aerobics routines then you should definitely think about CCT or better known as Cardio Circuit Training. CCT is weight training & its goal is to raise your heart rate 60-80% from your maximum heart rate. When you start doing the cardio exercises, concentrate on doing each exercise for a period of time moving from set to set in a rapid pace with almost no rest.

But if you are one of those people who hate the thought of doing repetitive work & having to stay put in one place then you should try a different kind of cardio exercise. A lot of sports like basketball, badminton, tennis, racquetball & soccer are great cardio exercise alternatives. Not only is it completely different from your typical workout routine at the gym, these are also games that you can play with your friends & family! Now you are not just working out your body, you are also having fun & bonding with friends.

It’s funny how people will always have all sorts of excuses not to do cardio work despite knowing that they need the exercise. Hopefully, these alternative fun cardio exercises will encourage more and more people to take on a healthy lifestyle.

Step 1. Warm-up – Warming-up means allowing your blood to fully circulate through your muscles for a few minutes. Some people mistake stretching as being the same to warming-up, now you know its not. Stretching comes after warming up. You warm up to help your muscles prepare itself for a period of vigorous movements.

Step 2. Stretching – After you have warmed up substantially, you can now proceed to doing stretching exercises. Start on your smaller muscle groups & end with the bigger body parts. When you stretch make sure that you do not bounce as this will cause you to pull your muscles. Stretching is a slow & steady process, so take your time while doing it. Hold your muscles for 30-60 seconds during stretches.

Step 3. Figure out your FDI – FDI stands for Frequency, Duration & Intensity & these are very important factors to consider while plotting your cardio workout plan.

• Frequency refers to the number of cardio sessions that you should (not want) to do in a week. To achieve the best results, you should do your cardio sessions at least 3 times a week. There should be no more than 48 hours of lapse time between each aerobic session or you will be forfeiting the gains that you achieved in the initial workout.

• Duration takes into consideration the actual cardio time you spend minus your warm-up & stretching time. To achieve significant results, each aerobic session should last anywhere from 20-60 minutes. Beginners should start slowly especially if they are not used to physical activity. A 10-15minutes cardio session for beginners is good enough & they can eventually work on building longer workout periods as they progress. It is also important to note that duration should be increased first before intensity. Therefore, before you progress from a 15-minute walk to a 15-minute jog you should first consider doing a 20-30 minute walk then when your body has adjusted you can do the jog.

• Intensity means the difficulty of the cardio exercise. The intensity depends upon your heart rate & how it copes with each type of physical activity. The simplest way to track your heart rate is to feel your pulse & count how many beats per minute you are getting. Beginners should start with low-intensity exercises that should progress in intensity as they do cardio longer. Also it is more effective to do a combination of a high-intensity & low-intensity workout in one cardio session.

Step 4. Have a short term & long term goal. – Figure out your reasons for doing cardio exercises. Most people do aerobic or cardio work to lose weight. But once they have achieved this goal, they stop exercising altogether & they start gaining back what they lost. Therefore, it is imperative that aside from having an immediate goal you should also formulate a long term goal that will let you involve cardio exercise in your lifestyle & daily routine.

Aerobics dances have become so popular that a lot of different variations & versions have sprung-up. More and more aerobic exercises are coupled with music which provides the timing & rhythm to the movements while making it more fun & less tasking.

Aerobics exercises can be categorized in two different areas, one is the high-impact aerobic activity & the other is the low-impact aerobic activity. High-impact aerobics combines music with kicking, bending or jumping giving the same results as other cardio exercises like swimming, biking, brisk walking or running would. Low impact aerobics makes use of less jarring movements and is generally less intense than high-impact aerobics. This type of aerobic exercise is recommended by many doctors because its very nature reduces the risk of physical injury.

Some of the more popular aerobics exercises are:

1. Slide Aerobics – this exercise makes use of adjustable slides along with movements that revolve around using the slide as the main exercise equipment. Some exercise programs uses slide aerobics along with other exercises. The slides can be adjusted depending on a persons need for space.

2. Country Aerobics – this is the latest addition to the already growing number of fads in cardio exercises. Country aerobics makes use of the upbeat country music as well as country-line dancing. This type of aerobics is great exercise because it is fun but not over-the-top & its not too difficult for older people to do.

3. Funk Aerobics – this type of aerobics has been around since the early 90’s & was influenced by rap music, classic funk & street jam music. From the old MC Hammer tunes to the latest hip-hop beat, funk aerobics is what happens when you mix stationary aerobics, like the treadmill or the stationary bike with some beat busting rap or hip-hop music.

4. Interval Exercise - from its name, interval aerobics makes use of alternating workout intensities. The interval exercise is a great weight loss program. The working theory is steady-state exercise does not get as much calorie loss as the interval exercise would even at a shorter period.

5. Water Exercise – the use of water in physical activities has long been espoused by many experts & is now being used as a therapy & weight loss aid. Water exercise is a little less strenuous than your regular backstroke or water polo; quite the contrary, cardio exercise in the water is very low-impact & basically just makes use of the resistance found in the water. But despite this, water exercise is very effective in building endurance, strength, stamina & weight loss.

6. Step and Double-Step Aerobics – Though there has been some debate over the effectiveness & safety of step exercises, many aerobics practitioners still swear over its viability. The extensive number of video workouts & paid workout programs at gyms all over the world is testament to the fact that step aerobics work for a lot of people. It is called step aerobics because it makes use of a platform & stepping motions are incorporated into the whole cardio routine. Double-step, as the name suggests, makes use of two steps.

The typical obstacles about the weight loss projects available are the lack of time for it, the consistency, and the thought that you’re getting tired of all these wearing activities that doesn’t seem to work on you cause the results are minimal.

Well, honestly it’s better if you see results at all. Sometimes the problem is you work hard on the exercise and fail on eating the right kind of foods, or most of the time, you’re not steady on the time and rhythm on the type of exercise you chose.

Aerobics is more on the consistency and the rhythm including the time given for it. There is a minimum-maximum time given for every type of aerobics. Knowing this gives you a better chance on better results.

Also, torturing yourself on hard work isn’t too much help either. Aerobics is not just about the treadmill or the gym or the running and jogging, there are a lot of ways you can circulate that oxygen intake in a quite pleasurable technique than exhausting.

For years now, aerobics had been popular in methods like through dances or rhythmic exercises, swimming, yoga, tai chi, aerobic boxing, and so much more options to choose from that are now available for researches both in physical fitness magazines, bookstores, and most specially, the internet.

The best part of it is that not only does it really work, its fun to take in part in activities such as the ones mentioned. When you’re having fun it is easier to commit. When you’re fully committed, consistency and change follows.

To be really sure about the right class of aerobics that would benefit you more, it is recommended that you consult a physician. There are three types of simple classes that determine what impact benefits you more. The terms include step, high, and low.

Step aerobics, as the term implies, involves a one-two step idea. You use a bench step, a block or anything that you can step on in a constant rhythm. High class aerobics indicates more movement like jumping and bouncing similar to the dance type aerobics and alike. The Low class aerobics is concerned more on keeping one foot on the ground, meaning lesser on the bouncing and jumping thingy. Different terms, different results. Which one works on you well, consult a health care professional.

Either way, if you’re main target is to only keep yourself fit: Easy Step class aerobics works great, if you don’t have time for heavy sport exercises, etc. You don’t always need mechanical devices, like abs grinder stuffs, and anything else. All you need is a platform to step on, step off in a given minutes a day. That’s it, and you’ll be great.

Other ideas to take consider too is doing the exercises with your family, relatives, or friends. At least when there’s someone with you, the activity won’t be so boring and you get to help them keep in shape and healthy too.

With all these in mind, “no pain, no gain” is outta here!