Valentine's Day is the day of hearts. So today I thought we would focus on heart heath in relation to exercises fitness. The article below gives a great overall view. I hope you enjoy it.
Hearts are on the minds of many today as we celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Which begs the question: What are you doing to take care of your heart?
My suggestion probably isn’t what you expect.
While most people are aware that cardio exercise is good for heart health, many overlook a key component to their workout: recovery.
This is even more important if you participate in interval training, an ever-growing sector of the exercise world.
You know the kind of exercise of which I speak: short, intense bursts of exercise that leave your muscles searing and you panting for breath.
Many studies have shown intervals improve metabolism. And, since intervals are based on short bursts of exercise — in the 30-second to 2-minute range — it’s an effective way to get a workout without spending half the day in the gym.
This type of exercise hurts good, many would say, because you know without a doubt you are burning calories when you are giving it your all.
No doubt about it, interval training is an awesome way to get into shape.
But for intervals to truly be beneficial, exercisers must allow their bodies to recover appropriately.
Most pro athletes understand this concept and perform intervals only two or three times a week. They enjoy full rest days or they work on other areas of fitness such as strength training.
It is during the recovery time when your body repairs itself and strengthens itself.
If you spend a week in a gym, you’ll see people doing intervals day after day and sometimes more than once a day.
This kind of training isn’t good. Days and weeks of back-to-back intervals tear bodies down and possibly lead to injuries. The body’s hormonal response to such training can even create more fat storage.
It also will lead to mediocre performances because your heart simply can’t hit its max time after time. Which is why pro athletes are so fanatical about getting in their recovery days.
Think of it this way: No one in their right mind would do the maximum set of squats for five days in a row or even think it is a good idea.
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So perhaps you take a well deserved fitness break today and spend this holiday of sweethearts enjoying your loved one. Take a full days rest every week to help your body and heart get fully recovered from fitness training.
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