Cardiovascular (‘cardio’) exercise is a physical activity that strengthens your heart and increases your lung capacity. Cardio exercise is meant to speed up your heart and breathing rate
There are various forms of cardio, ranging from moderate to vigorous.
Moderate:
- Fast-paced walking or walking uphill
- Swimming
- Garden work
Vigorous:
- Running
- Cycling
- Sports e.g. football, rugby, tennis, hockey
Generally, we should all aim for at the very least 150 minutes of moderate cardio each week. That is roughly just over 20 minutes every day in which we are doing some form of physical activity that gets us out of breath.
Alternatively, we should aim for a minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous cardio each week (just over 10 minutes per day).
Why should we be aiming for these targets and why is it important that they are done every day?
Benefits:
- Lowers blood pressure and blood sugar, so reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
- Helps you stay at a healthy weight
- Helps improve sleep
- Reinforces the immune system
- Reduces the level of brain deterioration as you age