When designing a fitness plan, there will be two forms of exercise that you want to integrate: cardiovascular and anaerobic. To understand what exercises will fall into the cardiovascular category, you must know a little more about these two main ways of working out. Before beginning to exercise, talk to your doctor to determine if you are strong enough for cardiovascular routines.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise is part of a well-thought-out fitness plan. Aerobic exercise requires an increase in oxygen intake. This primary purpose is to burn stored fat by increasing the heart rate for an extended time. Anaerobic exercise is shorter and more intense. Many people may associate anaerobic exercise with weight lifting, but that is just one example. The University of Wisconsin lists racquetball and sprinting as additional examples of anaerobic exercise.
What Qualifies as Cardio Exercise
Cardio is merely a short way to say cardiovascular training or aerobic exercise. The key is in the heart rate. During cardio exercises, you want to increase your heart rate to around 60 to 80 percent of the maximum rate for your age. Any exercise that gets you moving can accomplish this task. A brisk walk, jogging, riding a bike or dancing are all examples of cardio workouts.
About Maximum Heart Rate
Maximum heart rate, or MHR, is the fastest your heart can beat safely during exercise. This can vary per person, but generally age is the defining factor. From your maximum heart rate, you can determine a target heart rate zone. This can be between 60 and 80 percent of the MHR. Maximum heart rate and target zones are absolute numbers to know when planning cardio exercise. For a workout to qualify as cardio, you must keep your heart rate in the target zone for at least 15 to 20 minutes. A fast way to calculate MHR is to subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 40 years old, your MHR would be 180 beats per minute. Once you know your MHR, you can estimate a target heart rate by taking 60 and 80 percent of this number. In the example, the target heart rate zone would be between 108 to 144 beats per minute. This is a rough estimate. Your doctor can help you find the best target heart rate for your fitness level.
Intensity
The target heart rate is crucial to getting the most out of the cardio workout. MayoClinic.com reports that what most individuals perceive as a vigorous workout may not fall into that category. Intensity is what makes aerobics work. To live a fit lifestyle, you should do 150 minutes of cardio workouts a week. This means you can jog, walk briskly, take an aerobics class or swim -- as long as you maintain the intensity of the exercise and increase the heart rate to the target zone. Taking your pulse after the warm up will help you measure your heart rate, and once you reach the right number, you know you are doing cardio exercise.
