When Should You Do Cardio?

There are two good times to start doing cardio, it just depends on what type you want to do. If you want to do low intensity cardio such as walking on a treadmill, swimming, riding your bike, or similar exercises, you should start in the morning on an empty stomach before eating anything. This way all the energy that is being burned is directly from your fat stores, rather than burning off what you had just eaten.

Another good time to do cardio, is directly after a weight lifting session. You should do high intensity cardio such as running, skipping rope, or any exercise that will make your heart rate raise to a higher level. The reason for doing cardio after a weight session rather than the before is, you want to have a workout that you can put full effort into. This helps raise your heart level and burns off any carbohydrates so you can immediately start burning calories and glycogen stores. This makes your cardio session even more effective. Sure, doing high intensity cardio seems like a big pain, and walking sounds better. However you don't have to do it as long as if you were walking. This saves you time, and is a little bit more of a motivation to go exercise.

If you insist on doing low intensity cardio in the morning, you should do it on an empty stomach for at least 45 minutes. Make sure to do this three times a week, keeping your heart rate anywhere from 60 to 70% of your max heart rate. After finishing, you should try to wait 20 to 30 minutes before eating anything. This will keep your fat burning going on just a little bit longer. After a few weeks you may stop seeing results. From there you should either length the time of year cardio by 15 minutes or add another day. Either of these options are just fine, just get out there!

No matter what you choose, doing any type of exercise is way better than doing nothing at all. Cardiovascular exercise will not only make you look better, it will also make you look better. Doing cardio on a regular basis is also proven to give you more energy. If you haven't done any exercise in a long time, you should take everything slowly and easily. There is no point in hurting or straining yourself. This has the potential of making you not want to do any more exercising.

 By Edward D Thomason