Does intense cardio help you live longer? A question that haunts the minds of many people. Let us understand the meaning of intense cardio and its benefits. Here we are trying to analyze if intense cardio can help you live longer, so that you can plan an appropriate exercise regimen.
Most of us believe in going slow when it comes to exercises like brisk walking and cycling. But if we talk specifically about intense cardio exercise, then you may gain up to 3.5 more years in your life. Several studies done in recent times have indicated that intense cardio exercise can improve your blood circulation, thus increasing the breathing and heart rate and pump more oxygen to your brain.
Numerous people fall prey to cardiovascular diseases that lead to early death. Similarly other lifestyle disorders and even cancer is on the rise. The basis of most of these disorders is improper blood circulation, lack of adequate oxygenation and damage to the body cells. Cardio is a type of exercise that helps to meet these requirements and when performed regularly it can help in making people live longer.
Does Intense Cardio Help You Live Longer?
Any exercise which increases your heart rate is termed as cardio. To keep going, you need to be active so that your joints and muscles are in good shape and you are less prone to falling ill. If you have stronger muscles, you live better which leads to better efficiency and improved health.
But you need to combine cardio with weight training so that your bones and joints are in super-fit status thus beating any kind of strain. This works well, provided you have a good diet and protein intake.
Intense cardio is nothing but cardio exercises done at an intensity, which maintains the higher heart rate for some period. In intense cardio, there is a larger muscle movement which makes your heart beat faster and for that duration, your body is subjected to high speed of movement.
In the list of some of the best intense cardio exercises, you may check the following:
- Burpees
- Jumping jacks
- Skaters
- Box jumps
- One leg hop
- Push-ups
- Squats
- Scissor lunge hop
- Crunches
- High knees
- Planks
Low and moderate intense cardio can also be helpful but your heart needs to achieve 50% of the highest heart rate. As intense cardio involves a warm up of up to 5 minutes, this is necessary to keep the body prepared for workouts to skip any sort of strain on muscles and joints.
Intense cardio exercise also includes fat burning therefore, so it is also good you keep your weight in check. Weight management is essential to prevent and manage many disorders, thus even in this way, intense cardio can help you live longer. Intense cardio for weight loss is a multi-pronged strategy, which helps you lose out your weight and keeps you fit. If you intend to take up an intense cardio plan, then gear yourself with good diet beforehand to prepare your body for the wear and tear that bones and muscles may undergo during workout.
Benefits of cardio have been innumerable when it comes to adding more years to your life. There have been many cases in which people have experienced better health benefits from intense cardio. Even some of the people who have had a medical history of some terminal illness have recovered very effectively from cardio.
Benefits of Intense Cardio
High intensity cardio benefits involve lots of energy which is very helpful in keeping at bay the mental stress. Also, burning out calories is a great choice and this is what makes this form of exercise really essential. When the intense cardio exercises are taken up, more and more calories are used up, keeping your entire system under control.
While it is necessary that you avoid overdoing things, it is worth to perform regular intense cardio, within your limits. Here are some of the benefits of intense cardio, which can help you live longer.
- Your heart health is improved with better energy levels. Better oxygenation and blood circulation improves the health of every cell.
- Intense cardio can help boost your metabolism thus helping in better food digestion and absorption of nutrients. Effective metabolism can keep weight problems at bay and help you live longer. It can also help prevent metabolic disorders like diabetes, thyroid and other problems.
- If you are suffering from diabetes, arthritis, immune disorders, you may experience fatigue and sleep problems. Regular cardio can boost your performance levels, making you feel more energetic and also improve your sleep.
- For hormonal problems, cardio is a great option. It can not only help in regularize hormones but also help to manage various symptoms of hormonal problems. Intense cardio workout can manage your appetite, curb fatigue, boost your energy and improve your quality of life.
- Intense cardio helps to fight stress, anxiety and negative thoughts, due to the release of feel-good hormones. Depression is reduced to a significant level thus improving your mental health.
- With regular intense cardio, your immunity can improve thereby reducing the rate of illnesses, keeping you healthy most of the time.
- When intense cardio is complemented with a healthy diet, body does produces enough anti-oxidants, which can fight many illnesses.
Intense cardio is beneficial in improving your blood circulation, provides better oxygenation and keeps you active. With improved immunity and reduced stress levels, you are sure to enjoy a better life. With these benefits, it is clear that intense cardio does help you live longer. But it is recommended to pick those exercises which are more suited for you. Taking an expert’s opinion and planning appropriate exercises can help. Remember to warm before and cool-down after intense cardio workout, to stay supple and avoid injuries.
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