Everyone has wondered at some point in time which cardio exercise is better. To put it in simple terms, both low and high intensity exercises will help you to burn off body fat. The question here is which is the most effective to burn off more body fat.

When scientists first discovered that during intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored in your liver and muscles for energy. During low intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of fat.

If you’re wondering whether or not it works, the answer is no because there are so many obese people still around. Even though they are working out with low intensity routines, it still makes you wonder how it can be.

The scientists were right when they said the human body burns more body fat during low intensity exercises like walking or swimming. During a high intensity exercise such as running, the body will burn a lot more calories. Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are still many fat calories burned as well.

To put the icing on the cake, when your store of glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your food you eat will later get converted into glycogen to fill up the store and won’t be converted to body fat when they are left unused for energy.

High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your metabolism even after you have completed your workout. What this means, is that your body will continue to burn body fat hours after you have left the gym. This effect is nearly nonexistent in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.

Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and more calories during and after you have finished a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity.

You can inject high intensity exercises into your cardio workout by introducing some interval training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or so. Then, walk briskly again until you have caught your breath and then sprint for a minute before you walk again. From this point, simply alternate your running and walking for the next 15 minutes until you are finished.

One of the best things about cardio is the more you do it, the more energy you’ll have. Cardio will help you to burn calories, although it’s more useful for keeping your energy levels high.

If you’ve never tried cardio before, you should give it a shot. If you like to exercise, you’ll find cardio the best way to boost your energy and keep in top shape. If you are just starting out, you’ll want to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in track – as it is very easy to over exert yourself.

The type of exercise you do all depends on you and what you like to do. What you hate doing, paying membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment are all things you need to consider as well as answer.

If you choose something that you don’t like to do, you aren’t going to keep doing it for a long period of time. Give it some thought – if you don’t like jogging, you aren’t going to get up at 6 AM and go running. If you can’t find something you like to do, choose something you hate the least, which will normally be walking.

Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness. Anyone can start a walking program at any time; it’s normally the intensity and duration that differs. Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn’t difficult to find a training partner to chat with while you exercise. Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster. No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up over a period of weeks, which is essential to the longevity of your exercise program. If you start off too hard, you could end up with an injury which will require time off to get over.

A beginner, you should start off by walking for 10 minutes each day. Then, increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days.

If walking isn’t your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center or fitness studio. They will have many different types of equipment and professionals on hand that can help you develop a plan that will set you up for success.

Sports are an option too, softball, soccer and volleyball leagues are popular. You could sign up for golf or tennis lessons. All are social activities and you can even meet new friends.

Health is wealth. By being physically fit, it can make a person feel better about themselves, both inside and out.

Physical exercise improves your cardiovascular health, it gets your blood pumping, which improves the health of your skin, it improves your self confidence. In general, it makes you a happier person.

The most efficient exercise plan will cardiovascular and resistance or body weight exercises. This helps you burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase your metabolism and help you to burn calories more efficiently.

Below we’ve listed a few health and wellness ideas that will help to improve your health physically and mentally:

• Read books, magazines, online news articles. It keeps the mind sharp just like working out keeps the body in shape.

• Make time to relax. Go for a walk, spend time with friends and family, listen to music

• Limit toxins. Keep alcohol, soft drinks, caffeine and sugary foods to a minimum.

• Do something active every day. Even if it’s something simple like stretching while you’re watching the evening news, taking your dog for a walk. It will become a healthy habit.

There are several heat driven illnesses that you should be aware of, below we list them and the signs to recognize them. These illnesses can creep up on you and become serious quickly. Be acutely aware of them when you and your friends or family members are outside in the heat.

Heat Stroke

Warning signs of heat stroke vary but may include the following:

• An extremely high body temperature (above 103°F, orally)
• Red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating)
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness

Do the following:

• Get the victim to a shady area
• Cool the victim rapidly using whatever methods you can.
• Do not give the victim fluids to drink
• Get medical assistance as soon as possible

Heat Exhaustion

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include the following:

• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting

Cooling measures that may be effective include the following:

• Cool, nonalcoholic beverages, as directed by your physician
• Rest
• Cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
• An air-conditioned environment
• Lightweight clothing

Heat Cramps

Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture. The low salt level in the muscles causes painful cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion. Heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms – usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs – that may occur in association with strenuous activity. If you have heart problems or are on a low-sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps.
If medical attention is not necessary, take these steps:

• Stop all activity, and sit quietly in a cool place
• Drink clear juice or a sports beverage
• Do not return to strenuous activity for a few hours after the cramps subside, because further
exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke
• Seek medical attention for heat cramps if they do not subside in one hour

Sunburn

Remember these tips when treating sunburn:

• Avoid repeated sun exposure
• Apply cold compresses or immerse the sunburned area in cool water
• Apply moisturizing lotion to affected areas. Do not use salve, butter, or ointment
• Do not break blisters

In light of the extreme heat that we’ve been having we wanted to make sure that our members are aware of the signs and take the proper precautions.

Drink Plenty of Fluids

During hot weather, you will need to increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. During heavy exercise in a hot environment, drink two to four glasses (16-32 ounces) of cool fluids each hour.

Replace Salt and Minerals

Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body. These are necessary for your body and must be replaced. If you exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, non-alcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. However, if you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.

Wear Appropriate Clothing and Sunscreen

Wear as little clothing as possible when you are at home. Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose fitting clothing. Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool itself and causes a loss of body fluids. It also causes pain and damages the skin. Protect yourself by wearing a wide-brimmed hat along with sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to them package directions.

Adjust to the Environment

Be aware that any sudden change in temperature, such as an early summer heat wave, will be stressful to your body. You will have a greater tolerance for heat if you limit your physical activity until you become accustomed to it. If you travel to a hotter climate, allow several days to become acclimated before attempting any vigorous exercise, and work up to it gradually.

We know that many people make health and wellness goals a part of their Summer Wellness Goals. Some want to lose weight, others want to start a better diet and others just want to live a healthier life. We’re here to help. We are going to give you a few easy tips that will help you succeed with you goals.

1. The absolute number one way to succeed is to set realistic goals (of course that goes for life goals in general). Society encourages us to set goals and expectations high. It’s the way we keep up with each other or get ahead. But this can be detrimental. When it comes to health, wellness and exercise sometimes we set the goals too high because we are secretly sabotaging ourselves, sometimes we do it because we really think that’s the only way. The best or nothing at all. We’re here to tell you, it won’t work. Don’t do it! When you’re making lifestyle changes it is important that you make small goals, meet them and make new ones.

2. Get your friends and family on board, for two main reasons. The first reason is obvious, if you tell your friends and family you want to eat healthier, they are less likely to offer you cookies and donuts. You can start to share healthy recipes with each other, cook dinners together. The second reason is because once you tell someone else you’re committed. And commitment is essential. Let’s say you tell your friends and family that you’re going to run the half marathon in Novemeber, when they see you they will ask, “Hey how is your training going?” “Are you looking forward to the race?” So, it’s not like you can back out. Now you have to run the race. Having the support and encouragement of family and friends can get you through anything, certainly a race.

3. Make your new goal fun! If you’re going to start eating healthier chat with a friend who’s a good healthy cook, get together for dinner and cook together. You can enjoy an evening with a friend and learn a new recipe. If you’re on your own to find new recipes, sign up for a few cooking classes. You will have a fun evening to look forward to, a delicious dinner planned and you didn’t have to do anything except show up and use some awesome cookware. Maybe you’ll start a new hobby. If you’re seeking a toner physique join a class such as FitBody that will help you tone every muscle in your body.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can’t succeed if you think you have all the answers to this new lifestyle you hope for. If you are serious about your goals talk to people you know, see if they have been through the same change or if they know of someone who has, and has been successful. You can look on the internet to begin your search, but you really need the human factor to learn from. Of course every person is different and will be able to reach those goals through a different path, but if you talk to people you know you may be surprised what you find out. They may have a fresh idea or a friend that’s an instructor somewhere who can help you. This will help you from getting bored with the routine that you’ve created for yourself and it could give you something exciting to try.