Blog # 2: Cardio

HOWDY!

Today is gorgeous outside. 60 and Sunny  It's a perfect day for some exercise outdoors if you like working out outside. It's nice to change up your cardio routine often so you don't get bored of doing the same thing over and over. Repitition can be boring. That is a lot of the reason people don't like working out. They go to the gym and use the same one or two machines every time and eventually get bored with that routine. When I was in highschool, I didn't know too much about working out so I stuck to a very strict routine in the gym. (Run two miles, do the same leg and glute machines almost every day- sometimes incorporate some arms in there, go home, sleep, school, next day- repeat). Once I began studying I learned about the importance of changing up your routines and focusing on different muscles on different days so that they have resting time for repair and growth. I also learned not to focus on the DISTANCE you are going on a machine, which is a mistake that many people make, but instead focusing on the time. To do anything for your body, you want to at least work out a minimum of 30-45 minutes. That is to burn enough cals to essentially make a difference in your body. This of course depends on your calorie intake for the day- remember to lose fat, you need to be burning more calories then you take in from your diet. Its helpful to keep a food diary and keep track of your calorie intake. There are free websites such as "myfitnesspal.com" that help track your progess and count your calories. If you get bored of your cardio routine..CHANGE IT!
As long as you are doing 30-45 minutes you will get the same results on one machine that you will on 3 machines. It's okay to do ten minutes on each machine if you choose too! Keeping things interesting is part of staying motivated in the gym. So change up your routine, I promise it'll make your workouts WAY more enjoyable!!