Cardio – Respiratory Workouts

If your lifestyle routine permits you to regularly practice some form of sport which promotes cardio fitness, do go for it. Sports and games are fun and are also great for general mind-body coordination. But, during the times, when, for some reason it is not possible to play the sport – because of injuries, the wrong season or for want of a partner to name a few – jogging could really help keep your body in good cardio-respiratory shape. Ultimately you must identify what cardio-activity you would prefer. The guiding principles would be two, both of which are interrelated:
– Whether you enjoy it or not,
– How convenient it is to follow.
Listed below are a few principles that help maintain regularity in your fitness routines. Whichever routine you prefer, these should help.

1. Do not set a target: The instant you set a target like – ‘I will run 10 kliometers today’ or ‘I have to run at 12 kilometers per hour’ – your mind starts taking it as a chore. And the subconscious starts looking for reasons along with ways and means to avoid the jog. Best is to start off with a run by and large with a blank mind and decide on the pace and distance only once the body warms up and the breathing gets into a rhythm. This way you cannot train for a competition but you can be a regular at your fitness routine.

2. Stretch before a jog: To reduce the chances of injury to the knee and the ankle joints, do stretch your calf muscles, the leg biceps and the quadriceps before you start. The stretches should be done slowly and held for 10 to 15 seconds at the limit of the stretch, and should be done at least twice (to err on the positive).

3. Start slow to warm up: It makes sense to start at an easy pace for about 5 to 10 minutes to ensure that the body and the muscles in use get warmed up. A warmed up muscle functions more smoothly, fatigues later and reduces the chances of injury. During warming up there is also a dilation of blood vessels that takes place, which provides better oxygen and nutrient exchange between muscles and blood. If you make it a habit to deliberately start at a slower pace, at a subconscious level, you will also find lesser reasons to avoid a workout. Once your body is warmed up and you get into the groove, you will in all likelihood go that extra bit, and end up burning more calories.

4. Run long distances on alternate days: Running long distances everyday tends to fatigue the muscles and stress the ligaments. The chances of ligament injuries due to excessive stress and prolonged impact are higher this way. Alternate the days of running with days of strengthening exercises or flexibility training or maybe cardio-exercises involving a different set of muscles (like alternating jogging with swimming). I personally prefer alternating the jogging days with days of strength training or calisthenics.