Strength And Conditioning, Running
The Main Health Benefits of Cardio Exercise
Cardiovascular Training does wonders for your body, it allows you to work the whole body, train your endurance level and quicken your recovery rate all at the same time. This article is going to inform you of the main health benefits associated with Cardio Exercises and how they impact athletic performance and Sports.
Cardiovascular Training has a huge positive impact on one’s overall health, rendering it practically as essential as breathing or eating. Here are some surprising impacts of Cardio Training that you may not have been aware of:
- Reduces Anxiety
According to a study conducted at Princeton University, cardio exercises appear to cause the release of GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps silence brain activity and minimizes anxiety. The study showed that people who exercised regularly reacted to stressful situations in a calmer manner even 24 hours after working out.
- Strengthens the Brain
Multiple studies have concluded that exercising can also prevent or delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s in older adults. Moreover, it also enhances general brain processes that involve planning, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, etc. which can improve over
- Improves Mood
In addition to physical benefits, Cardio Training also has a positive influence on psychological health. It triggers the release of chemicals in the brain—serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, dopamine—that dull pain, lighten the mood and relieve stress.
- Induces better sleep
Are you having trouble sleeping and opting for sleeping pills? Ditch them and work out instead! Exercise is known to help you relax and doze off faster, in fact, even a moderate workout is equivalent to a sleeping pill, thus reducing the necessity for sleep-inducing medication.
- Decreases PMS
Women often experience a wide variety of symptoms – including mood swings, food cravings, fatigue, irritability, and depression. This combination of symptoms is known as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). In a study of nearly 2,000 women in New Zealand, researchers found that those who exercised slept and wrote about their symptoms felt a lot better than those who took specific vitamins or resorted to household remedies.
Impact on Athletic Performance and Sports
While these benefits work towards overall self-improvement, there is certain exercise equipment that specifically aids in athletic performance and sports. Physical fitness and athletic performance have a direct correlation with one another, which is why fitness training is an essential part of being an Athlete or a Sportsperson.
Cardiovascular Training has the following impact on athletic performance and sports:
- Increase Endurance
Endurance refers to an athlete's ability to sustain prolonged exercise for minutes, hours, or even days, and to assist in sustained physical activity, the circulatory and respiratory systems need to supply energy to the working muscles. Regular exercise strengthens your heart and lungs as well as your circulation, and as a result, helps you build endurance and stamina.
- Peaks Performance
Enhancing cardiovascular health lowers the risk of heart disease by improving the performance of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. The less stress your heart endures, the faster your body pumps blood. The strength of heart contraction, the suppleness of blood vessels, and the ability of blood to transfer oxygen all improve as a result of cardiovascular training.
- Boosts Immunity
Exercise can help flush bacteria from the lungs and airways, which reduces the risk of getting a cold, flu, or other illnesses. Moreover, exercise can cause changes in antibodies and white blood cells (WBCs), which are immune system cells that fight disease. It makes them circulate more rapidly, enabling them to detect illnesses sooner than when they might have and thus keeping athletes healthy and fit.
- Reduces risk of Injury
Injuries are a crucial part of being a Sportsperson. Cardio can help prevent this as it strengthens bones and muscles. This is why strength training is often suggested when it comes to preventing injury, it incorporates a wide range of muscular activities, which serve to strengthen them and increase the muscular mass, making them less susceptible to injury.
Risks involving Cardiovascular Training
Keeping all these benefits in mind, one must nonetheless also be careful while practicing cardiovascular exercises as they pose a certain amount of risk when they are not performed the appropriate way. Many people push themselves beyond their threshold during training, this can be quite detrimental. Overtraining can cause physical and mental exhaustion as well as loss of muscle (if you don’t consume enough calories). Furthermore, instead of strengthening the bones and muscles and preventing injuries, it may end up causing them.
Hence, one must be cautious and practice moderation.
However, don’t let that demotivate you from indulging in cardio training. Regardless of whether you are an athlete or a person with a regular office job, Exercise can help you significantly improve your life. The benefits far outweigh the risks.
SportsEdTV Editor’s Note: This guest blog is provided by a linked Miami based gym equipment company