HIKE, DANCE, RUN, BIKE, STEP, JUMP - DO IT FOR FUN

We covered muscular strength/muscular endurance in “MUSCLE.” We covered stretching in “FLEXIBLE.” Now, lets get into cardiovascular endurance. Enter “AEROBIC.” This post will provide evidence based GENERAL recommendations for cardiovascular endurance. Lets go!

SOURCE

The following information is based on the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (10th edition, 2018) which the American Council of Exercise (ACE) also references.

NUMBERS

Frequency, intensity, time, type, volume, and pattern/progressions (FITT-VP) are the factors to consider when performing different types of movement. FITT-VP applies to all types of movement including muscular strength/endurance, flexibility, neuromotor exercises, and aerobic/cardiovascular exercises which is discussed in this post.

FREQUENCY: 5 days or more a week of moderate aerobic exercises is recommended or you can shave that down to 3 days by exercising vigorously.

INTENSITY: For most adults, both moderate and vigorous exercise is recommended. What is considered “moderate”? If we use the Talk Test (yes, this is a legitimate way to subjectively determine intensity) moderate exercise is when you can talk -albeit not too comfortably - but you can get a whole sentence out. Vigorous intensity is when you cannot give more than one word responses. Deconditioned individuals can benefit from LIGHT to moderate intensity aerobic exercises. No excuses fam!

TYPE: Once again, nothing specific is cited here in the guideline. All that is said is the following: “regular, purposeful exercise that involves major muscle groups and is continuous and rhythmic in nature.” How vague. I recommend finding something you truly enjoy - be it a dance class, an indoor cycling class, the elliptical, or take up running. I HIGHLY recommend running. :)

VOLUME: Consider measuring your steps with a pedometer. The ACSM recommends 7,000 steps a day. If you are below this number, increase your steps by 2,000 a day until you reach 7,000. Please note that typically, 10,000 steps a day are recommended by other organizations. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day.

PATTERN: To reap the benefits of aerobic exercise ensure that the exercise is done in one continuous session. Alternatively, it could be broken down into several sessions as long as each session is greater than 10 minutes in duration. If an individual is very deconditioned, even less than 10 minutes of exercise can help pave a path to a healthy habit!

PROGRESSION: PROCEED SLOWLY! Take your time building cardiovascular endurance. By being consistent, you will see yourself improve. To better your improvement, you can increase the intensity and duration of the exercise. Consider joining a running club or finding a running buddy to get more motivation.

Please keep in mind when you read this post, and any other resource for that matter, that you will may find conflicting guidelines from different reputable sources regarding the same topic. We all have different body types, goals, biomechanics, limitations, experiences et cetera. These differences make us unique but this also means that this guideline is not a one size fits all.

My intention with this series of blog posts is to provide you with one guideline from a reputable source. It could be a good reference for you if you feel totally lost or need a reminder of what is recommended. With that said, I truly hope you find the inspiration to find some form of aerobic exercise that suits you and you truly enjoy! You will be doing your physical health a favor of course, but it may surprise you how this change impacts your life.

Do it for fun, not because you have to.

I would love to hear what form of aerobic exercise you enjoy. Leave a comment below!

As always, thanks again for reading. I see you readers in Hawaii and Vermont. Thank you!