Being 40 and cardiovascular fit
Cardiovascular fitness refers to the health of the heart, blood and blood vessels. It is also referred to as cardiorespiratory endurance to describe the ability of the lungs, heart, and vascular system to give oxygen and blood flow to the working muscles to keep them working.
When most people approach the age of 40, they start to wonder if they can still achieve cardiovascular fitness when they are 40 or older. Fortunately, reaching the age of 40 doesn’t mean an automatic sedentary life and slow death.
The steps we take to improve your cardiovascular health can make all the difference in keeping you healthy.
You can look to a healthy lifestyle and a healthful diet to help you achieve your best cardiovascular health in your 40s and later.
Cardiovascular fitness can be achieved but it will take hard work, determination, patience, and dedication with the payoff being that you will be healthier, look and feel better, and be able to enjoy the rest of life to the full.
Better cardiovascular system
To achieve a better cardiovascular system, you must increase your physical activity sufficiently to get your heart rate up and to increase your respiration. This is not difficult to do, but it will take work, which many people for the most part not keen on tackling. Improving your cardiovascular system can be done through steady efforts of exercise.
More people over the age of 40 are taking more of an interest in their health. This could have something to do with the fear of failing health, or because they just want to look and feel better. Whatever the reason may be improving your cardiovascular system is within your capabilities.
If you are one of those people interested in creating an increased awareness about their health, you need to think about ways that you can incorporate activity into your lifestyle. Finding alternative or improved ways to do things that improve your health in the real world can be very beneficial.
Cardiovascular Fitness and Weight Loss
Most people who undertake the challenges to enhance their cardiac fitness are typically also interested in weight loss as well. If you are in the same situation, you will need to increase your cardio by exercising approximately 3 to 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time.
You should start out slowly on your exercise program with the minimal requirement of 3 times a week for 30 minutes. As you develop your strength and stamina, the exercise sessions should gradually increase to 5 times a week for 40 minutes at a stretch.
The intensity should gradually increase as you lose more and more weight. Just like any exercise routine, weight loss training must be followed in a safe and practical manner.
Cardiovascular Fitness and Weight Gain
If you are attempting to gain weight, for whatever reason, you really don’t need to include any cardiovascular fitness exercises in your exercise program. However, including cardiovascular exercise in your program will not affect your weight if just do a par downed workout of 20-minute sessions twice a week.
But if you are at your ideal weight and don’t need to gain or lose weight, but are interested only in maintaining that weight and improve your cardiovascular system, you can exercise for 20 to 40 minutes approximately three times a week. This should be sufficient to maintain your weight without any wild fluctuations.
Heart health
When you get on a cardiovascular fitness exercise program, you need to monitor your heart rate to get the maximum benefit from your workouts. For faster and consistent weight loss, you would want to set a goal and keep at it until you have reached that goal.
If your heart rate is too high during workouts, it makes your cardio workout difficult and your recovery period longer. Moreover, it may affect your heart health.
When you have a heart rate that is too low, your efforts do not result in the maximum amount of calories burned, so your fitness workout becomes less effective and you need to spend more time in the gym. On top of that, you are not as fresh during your workouts as you would like to be.
Weight training
In addition to a high-intensity workout, you may what to include a weight training cardiovascular fitness program to get the full benefits of your cardio fitness workout. But don’t rush into a heavy-duty weight training regimen until you are proficient in the basic cardio fitness regimen. When the cardio fitness sessions become second nature to you then you can take on weight training.
Summary
As with any exercise regime that puts stress on your body, you should always consult your primary care physician about any precautions or limitations that you should follow. Improving cardiovascular fitness over 40 is not only highly possible, but definitely an achievable goal in your health plan to be healthier, look and feel better, and live a longer life.
A 2010 Harvard Business Review study found that individuals who have increased their cardiovascular fitness and maintained it, along with a healthy diet and proper nutrition, have a better mood, more productivity, and happier lives than individuals who lack cardiovascular fitness.
