Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: tyord


If you have decided to go for a diet and exercising in order to lose your unwanted weight, then you are probably wondering what type of exercise is the best for you, so that you lose the extra pounds.

Generally, the best type of exercising for weight loss are the cardio trainings. Many people have probably noticed that if they have enough physical activity in their daily lives, they don’t put on weight. This is absolutely true.

1. Types of cardio training

Important to know is, that there are two types of cardio trainings – high intensity and low intensity training. Many people think, that the speed of the training does not matter, but as a matter of fact it does, and so if you do a high intensity training, you would burn fat much faster. The principle of the cardio trainings is that your pulse increases and you start burning calories. The higher your pulse is, the more calories you burn. And this is achieved only with high intensity training.

2. How much cardio is recommended

In order to lose weight, you need to do cardio trainings from 3 to 5 times a week and their duration should be about 30-40 minutes per session. Don’t worry, it’s not necessary to start with this workout at the very beginning. As a start you could do about 10-20 minutes cardio per session. With the time just increase the duration of your trainings. 

Another point you should keep in mind, while doing cardio, is the heart rate. It is recommended that you start your cardio  trainings at 60% of your maximum heart rate. You could calculate this by the following formula:

220 – your age = your max heart rate

When you’ve already got used to that training rythm, you could increase your heart rate up to 70% and more.

3. Cardio before or after weight training?

It is recommended that you make your cardio part of the training after the weight training. If you do it before that, you should keep in mind, that you actually start burning calories after the first 10 minutes. If you do it after the weight training – you start burning calories and fat immediately.

Apart from weight loss, the cardio trainings have many other benefits for your health. They tone your body, faster your metabolism, make you feel full of energy. Whether your main goal is to lose weight or not, you should keep in mind, that physical activity is the best thing you could do for your body, spirit and health!

If you want to learn more tips and tricks about weight loss and exercise, make sure you check:

The Ultimate Weight Loss Guide



Longevity and Health Now

Guest Author: George Grigoryan


ve been struggling to get in shape you’ve probably considered cardio for weight loss including cardio classes.

But did you know that cardio for weight loss is the LEAST effective and to get in shape?

The idea behind doing cardio for weight loss is that it burns calories and therefore helps you get in shape. And yes, it works…very slowly.

There are other forms of exercise that burn MUCH more calories and give much faster results than cardio for weight loss.

Let me reveal to you the two most effective ones that I consider my ’secret weapons’ in my work of fitness coaching for women.

If you are going to do cardio for weight loss, then make sure you do something called interval training. It burns three times the calories in one third the time.

In other words it is NINE times more effective.

I’ve got a great beginner weight loss cardio workout for you that’s proven to work. I want you to try it.

Get on a treadmill and set the speed 2.5mph – 3mph and set a low incline. Walk for 5 minutes – this is warm-up.

Now keep the speed the same, but double the incline. Walk like this for 1 minute. This is you work interval.

Bring the incline back down and walk like this for 2 minutes. This is your rest interval.

1 work interval + 1 rest interval = 1 ROUND

Week 1: do 3 rounds 3 times per week .

Week 2: 4 rounds 3 times per week.

Week 3: 5 rounds 3 times per week.

Week 4: 6 rounds 3 times per week

Cool-down for 5 minutes after each session.

If this is too easy for you, pickup the speed in addition to the incline for your work intervals.

If you do this cardio routine in addition to your Metabolic Resistance Training (sign-up for my newsletter to get it), by week 4 you can lose up to 8 pounds of fat.

My other secret weapon is even more powerful. It is Metabolic Resistance Training.

It’s a form of resistance training I designed specifically for women. The reason it’s extremely effective is that it burns calories during the workout and for 48 hours AFTER the workout.

It elevates your metabolism permanently.

Sure, you can do traditional cardio for weight loss, but if you want results NOW, then I suggest you try interval training and metabolic resistance training.

It’s worked for dozens of women I trained and it will work for you too.

Guest Author: Ryan Cote


The perfect workout routine is one that combines strength training and some form of cardio. The problem is, most people hate doing cardio and will make up any excuse not to do it. A popular excuse is not having enough time. This article, however, will show you how you can spend only 20 minutes on a cardio workout and still reap the benefits.

So first of all, why is it necessary that you add cardio to your workouts? Most people understand the benefits of strength training because it adds muscle and muscle makes you healthier, more lean and stronger overall.

But what are the benefits of cardio? Here is a short list that names just a few:

- it helps reduce stress

- it burns calories which leads to weight loss

- it makes your heart and lungs stronger

- it reduces your risk of certain diseases

- it reduces depression and increases confidence

- it gives you more energy and helps you sleep better

To sum it up, adding cardio to your workout improves your health and well-being which leads to a better quality of life. Combine this with strength training and you’re on your way to feeling great, fast.

So how can you reap the benefits of cardio in only 20 minutes per workout? It’s called Interval Training and it can be applied to many different forms of cardio including boxing, running and biking.

The concept in a nutshell is shorter workouts, but higher intensity. This is accomplished by pushing hard for say two minutes and then slowing down for two minutes. If you repeat this cycle four more times then you have your 20 minutes. You could also do one minute hard, one minute easy and then repeat this nine more times.

Here is an example:

Interval training is perfect for running. If you’re working out on a treadmill or running outdoors, it’s the same routine. Start out with a warm up jog followed by two minutes of a challenging pace. This won’t be your all out because you have to maintain it for two minutes, but a pace that will be very hard for you. You then follow this with two minutes of either a walk or a very slow jog. Repeat four more times and you’ve got yourself an effective cardio workout in only 20 minutes.

This concept can be applied to many different forms of cardio: two minutes hard, two minutes easy, repeat four more times. Or one minute hard, one minute easy, repeat nine more times.

You’ll get your blood flowing, your heart pumping and reap all the benefits cardio has to offer…all in only 20 minutes.



Fountain Of Youth

Guest Author: Terry Sandhu


Cardio exercise is an activity that you will do at a moderate pace for a minimum of 20 minutes, building up to around 45 minutes or at times even higher. You should always begin at a slow pace for about 5 or 10 minutes because this allows your body to warm up and decreases the risk of any injury. It is also a good idea to spend 5 or 10 minutes cooling down after finishing your workout. You do this by going at the same slower pace as you were when you were warming up.

Before starting a cardio program, always consult your doctor, who can evaluate your current situation and give you a rough idea as to where you should be starting and what you are capable of. For the first week or two don’t try to push yourself too much. Spend this time getting to grips with what you are doing. This also gives you and your body the time to get comfortable with these changes. Once you have a couple of weeks under your belt then you can start adding to your program. This can be in the amount of time, or distance that you do. Remember that to keep on improving you must keep adding, otherwise your body will soon adapt to what you are doing and this will lead to your results stopping.

The next thing is decide what type of cardio exercise you want to do. Try to think of something that you may enjoy. If you hate running, it will be pointless taking up running to lose weight, because your heart will not be in it, and you will soon stop doing it. For cardio to be effective you will need to do it for a certain amount of time (20-45 minutes). Some people can find boredom setting in pretty quickly. To compensate for this you should use music wherever possible while you do your cardio workout. Pick your favourite tunes or something fast and motivational. Focus on the music and not the time you are spending doing your workout. This stops you from clock watching and you will find that the time spent doing your cardio workout goes by much quicker.

Here are a few of the best cardio exercisers for burning fat:

Elliptical machines are a great way of burning fat, improving your stamina, and toning your muscles. They are relatively new compared to other pieces of exercise equipment, but are very effective. You have the benefits of working your upper and lower body with an elliptical machine.

Rowing machines are excellent pieces of equipment. Not only do they target all areas of your body, they can up to a point increase muscle mass, which is always a good thing when you are trying to lose weight. Apart from the fitness benefits, you can burn many calories using a rowing machine. The fact is that the more of your body you use during a workout, the more calories you will burn.

Running us another good way of burning calories and it is also free. Running is more effective than jogging for burning calories. A couple of points to remember are that you should make sure that you have a pair of good running shoes. Also try to run on a soft surface such as grass as this will have less impact on your joints than if you were on a road. If you do run on a street, forget the music because you don’t want to be hit by a car that you didn’t hear coming.

A stationary bicycle is a traditional piece of equipment which has been around for many years. It is still considered as an effective cardio workout, but it all depends on what levels of difficulty you choose to use. The benefit of this piece of equipment is that you can ride it while you are watching television, which may alleviate some of the boredom associated with an exercise bike.

These are by no means all of the cardio exercisers that you can do. There are lots of others including swimming, skipping rope, circuit training, using steppers, and walking. You need to pick one or a combination of a few that you will think you might enjoy. Always remember to start slowly and increase what you do a step at a time. One thing is clear and that is the effectiveness of cardio exercise for weight loss.



Instant Skin Tightener

Guest Author: Andrew Bicknell


Most of us know that cardio training is a great fat loss activity and it is probably the second most popular way to lose weight, right behind diet. It also goes without saying that it is beneficial for the cardiovascular system, contributing to an overall healthier body. If the benefits of aerobic training are appealing to you here are some recommendations to get the most out of your workout.

It is generally recommended that you start out slow with a goal of exercising three days a week for at least thirty minutes each time. As you get stronger and in better shape this can be upgraded to five times a week upwards of 45 minutes or more per session. It is better to work your way up to longer and more sustained workouts over time. Over doing it when starting out is one of the reasons many people fail to stay motivated when undertaking a cardio exercise routine.

It is also important that as you increase your fitness level that your training intensity increase as well. By varying your workouts and exercises you will see greater weight loss over a shorter amount of time and you’ll keep your routine from getting stale. You can also do this with individual exercises by varying the intensity level during the workout. For instance, if you are jogging you can push yourself by increasing your pace for several minutes before returning to your normal pace.

Here are several things to remember about when to do your aerobic workouts. Try to avoid doing any type of exercise at least 2 hours before you normally go to bed. It will raise your energy levels and make it hard to get to sleep.

If you need a snack before your workout try to eat 30 minutes before the beginning of your workout. Avoid working out after eating a large meal as this will make your workout much less effective. A small, high carbohydrate snack will help fuel the intensity you need to lose that fat.

There is no time like the present to start your fat loss cardio program so head on out the door and go for a walk, or take a bike ride around the neighborhood. Build up your stamina and before long you’ll be pushing your body harder as the fat begins to melt away. Stay consistent with your fat loss goals and stick to your training routine for a healthier and trimmer you.