It use to be that I would workout for a certain amount of time, but lately that has switched. Instead of staring at the clock, I have started focusing more on distance. For me it has helped me to go longer in my workouts and increases my intensity when I am in a time crunch.

But really, what is more beneficial, exercising for distance or exercising for time?

“FITT” is a great acronym that can guide you in your cardio workout plan.

F.I.T.T. stands for Frequency, Intensity, Type, and Time.

Frequency

How often should you workout?

For those of you that are just starting to workout, start out slow and work your way up. Aim at about 3 days a week and gradually work your way up to 5 or 6 days a week. When it comes to weight loss, the more days the better. But don’t forget to allow your body a day or two of rest!

Intensity

How hard is your workout?

This can be a hard balance to find. You want your workouts to overload your body but at the same time you don’t want to create too much intensity in your workout that it creates injuries or burnouts. A heart rate monitor can determine intensity but another great way of measuring your intensity is from the ability to speak while working out. You know you are having a great workout when you become out of breath during it.

Type

What activities do you do that increases your heart rate?

Most of us have our one cardio activity that we enjoy doing. For me, it’s the elliptical. I can stay on that thing forever, but put me on a treadmill and I can’t stand more than 5 minutes without getting bored and miserable. Find activities that increase your heart rate and that you love. Switching it up too can throw off your body from adjusting to that one activity.

Time

How long is your workout?

The recommending time of a cardio workout is going to vary on it’s intensity but it’s around 20-60 minutes.

So, maybe I shouldn’t just focus on miles. According the “FITT” principle there are several things to take into consideration. Bring both miles and time into my workout would be more beneficial than focusing on one or the other.

Question

When you workout, do you focus more on time or distance?

What is your usual time or distance each day?

Power walking is underestimated a lot in the fitness world. There are so many health and weight loss benefits to walking that people don’t see. Walking is and should be right up there with swimming, biking, and running. But instead, most people think that it is a waste of time and is not effective.

Power walking gives the same healthy and weight loss benefits as running does. Not only does it increase your heart rate and is a great form of low-intensity cardio exercise for weight loss, but also comes with many healthy benefits. Walking 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of heart disease, increase memory, bone strength, mood, and sleep.

While power walking gives such great benefits, without proper power walking technique it can become a waste. Here are 10 tips to keep in mind when power walking:

* Don’t over-stride. Keep to short, fast, steps to prevent shin splints. Roll through your step with your back foot and leg, getting a good push off.

* Make sure to get a good pair of walking shoes. This can cause all sorts of injuries to your body, especially back problems. Running shoes should be light-weight, flexible soles, and not too small. Walking shoes should be replaced every 500 miles

* Do not walk flat footed. Instead, your step should roll from heal-to-toe. This plays a huge factor in shin splints

* Arm positions can slow down your walk as well as cause your hands to swell. Keep your arms bent at 90 degrees while walking.

* Stop looking like a chicken! Most power walkers end up crossing their arms in front of them, bringing them to the center of their body. When swinging your arms keep them close to your side and bring them back and foward, as if reaching for your wallet from a back pocket on the backstroke.

* Keep your head up right. Most people look down at their feet when walking, but this can close up your airway and can cause problems in your neck, back and shoulders.

* Don’t lean forward. Think to stand up tall when power walking

* Clothing should be lose and comfortable. At night you should have some type of reflective wear or lights to make yourself aware to others

* Make sure to drink plenty of water! You should drink a glass or water 30 minute before your walk and one cup every 20 minutes during your walk.

* Don’t over-do it! Make sure to take at least one day off walking to allow your body to rest… Even the creator look a day off!

Question: Do you prefer power walking over other cardio workouts?

Sun salutations, standing poses, seated poses, inversions and backbends before relaxation… Yoga is full of moves that will make your body more flexible, increase strength, stamina, realign the spine, and bring your body into a state of relaxation.

Yoga looks completely different for each person. For one person it’s time in the morning to stretch and find a state of relaxation and peace before a hectic day, or other’s it’s for flexibility and balance, while for others it’s sweating in a 100 degree room for several hours changing positions.

From hatha yoga to bikram yoga and ashtanga yoga, these workouts are challenging yet sopeaceful and refreshing… leading to a state of internal bliss.

But can yoga replace one’s cardio workout?

This is a very controversial question.

With so many different types of yoga, each one is going to be a different answer. One hour of yoga burns approximately 200 calories. Of course with any type of exercise, the intensity of that workout is going to effect the amount of calories burned. Below is a list of yoga classes and how it compares to one hour of cardio.

* Hatha Yoga burns 175 calories, similar to a slow walk

* Ashtanga Yoga burns 300 calories, similar to a brisk walk

* Power Yoga burns 300 calories, similar to a brisk walk

* Vinyasa Yoga burns 445 calories, similar to moderate bike riding

* Bikram / Hot Yoga burns 630 calories, similar to one hour of jogging

Yoga is a great alternative workout to mix up your daily routine, but cardio is not all about calories. While you are going to burn the calories to lose weight, you won’t get the same benefits in other areas of a cardio workout. If you are wanting to lose weight, I would suggest not replacing cardio workouts all together, but incorporating yoga into your weekly workouts.

What is your your favorite Yoga Pose?

Are you noticing that your cardio workouts are getting harder than they normally are?
You could be doing too much cardio. Yep, I said it… too much!
   

Your body perceives exercise as a stressor, therefore too much exercise can have a negative effect on it. Your metabolism will shut down, holding into your fat and burning everything else. You are also opening up a door to injury with all the wear and tear you are doing on your body.     

If you start to feel general fatigue, irritability, physical soreness, insomnia, headaches, or you find that your workouts are much harder than they normally are you probably are overdoing it on the cardio.

Obviously everybody is going to be different when it comes to over doing it with cardio, but it is recommended that you do no more than 60-90 minutes of cardio a day. This depends on a variety of things such as intensity, activity, and the amount of food you are in taking that day.

 

It is also recommended that you give your body at least one to two rest days throughout the week. This gives your body time to heal itself and your cells can regenerate. If you are like me, you find it hard to not exercise on your days off… I sometimes feel a little guilty. So instead of heading to the gym I find activities throughout my day that keeps me active, but gives my body a rest, such as going shopping at the mall, working in the garden, or playing in the pool.

So allow your body the rest it needs… you will probably burn more calories the rest of the week because you will have more energy!