Should I do cardio every day and how much time is enough?

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When doing strength training exercises, it is usually advised to rest for 1 or 2 days between training sessions to allow muscle recovery. But what about cardio exercises? Should I do cardio every day? How much cardio is enough?

1. Effects of cardio exercise

With aerobic exercise or cardio, muscles need more blood and oxygen than they do at rest. This helps the heart and lungs work harder, and over time these parts of the body get stronger. Accordingly, as the heart and lungs get stronger, the flow of blood and oxygen in the body also improves.
Cardio or aerobic exercise includes many different types of activities. Some activities like walking can be done at a moderate pace. Other activities such as jogging, uphill biking, jumping rope, or swimming can be done at a faster pace.
Accordingly, doing cardio brings the following benefits:
Improves heart and lung function; Muscle strengthening; Improve blood flow; Improve mood; Improve sleep ; Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

2. How much cardio is enough?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends: People 18 years of age and older should:
Do moderate-intensity cardio for at least 150 minutes per week; Or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week; Or an equivalent combination of the two forms above. According to the World Health Organization, with any cardio exercise, exercisers should do it for at least 10 minutes at a time to reap the greatest benefits. If exercising with moderate intensity - for example brisk walking, 30 minutes/day is best. Practitioners can divide into 2 15-minute walks or 3 10-minute walks throughout the day.
There is no maximum limit on the amount of cardio exercise a person should do daily or weekly. However, if every training session, the practitioner tries his best, then he can rest 1 or 2 days a week to avoid injury and burnout.

3. Is it safe to do cardio every day?

In a 2012 study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, researchers found that doing up to 60 minutes of cardio per day was safe and appropriate, especially for goal-setters. weight loss .
Although cardio has many benefits, a 2017 study found there may be risks associated with exercising at a high intensity every day or most days of the week.
The safe level of cardio exercise varies from person to person. It also depends on factors such as: Physical fitness, overall health, health issues,... Some symptoms that indicate a person is overtraining are: Prolonged muscle pain, joint pain, find the exercises that were easy to do before become more difficult, reduce interest in exercise, sleep poorly.
For those who have not exercised for a period of time or are recovering from an injury or illness, it is recommended that you consult your doctor about how to safely start cardio training about when and how often to exercise. . In addition, exercisers should also talk to their doctor if they have health problems that may affect their training. These problems include heart disease, arthritis, respiratory disease,...

4. Pros and cons of doing cardio every day

Daily cardio has both pros and cons. As follows:

4.1 Advantages of doing cardio every day

Improve heart function and cardiovascular health; Brings better and deeper sleep at night; Improves blood flow, helps control high blood pressure; Improves the body's use of fat, which helps in weight loss; Improve lung function and respiratory system; Improve mood, increase energy and reduce stress.

4.2 Cons of doing cardio every day

Causes physical and mental exhaustion; Loss of muscle mass if the practitioner does not consume enough calories to prevent the body from drawing energy from muscle tissue; Injuries from overtraining. MORE: How many minutes a day should you do cardio to lose weight?

5. Should you do cardio every day for the purpose of losing weight?

If you use more calories than your body consumes, it will lead to weight loss. That's why the calorie-burning power of cardio is such a great way to lose weight. For example, a brisk 30-minute walk can burn about 140 calories. This equates to 980 calories per week, almost 4,000 calories per month.
Even if exercisers don't cut calories, 30 minutes of cardio a day can help reduce at least 450g per month (equivalent to about 3,500 calories). Exercising more often and combined with dietary changes can lead to more weight loss.
However, as fitness improves, the body will burn calories more efficiently. That means that over time, doing the same exercise will likely burn fewer calories. As a result, weight loss can be slowed down, unless the practitioner increases their calorie-burning activities.

6. Tips for safe cardio

To do cardio safely, you can listen to the following advice:
Before starting cardio, the practitioner should check his fitness level and the effect of the program on the body; If you have been sedentary for a while, you should start with short, low-intensity exercises. When starting to build endurance, the practitioner can exercise longer; As you get used to working out longer, you can slowly increase the intensity of your cardio workout; Warm up for a few minutes with a brisk walk or exercise, cooling down the same way; Skip a workout if you feel tired, don't have much energy left; Drink water before, during and after exercise; Try to avoid jogging on uneven terrain as this can increase the risk of dislocation injury or fall; Stop exercising if you feel sudden pain or difficulty breathing. Doing 30 minutes of cardio a day is a safe activity that most people can do. However, people with chronic health conditions may not be able to exercise much. It is important that the person is still trying to be as active as possible.
Besides maintaining a reasonable length and intensity of exercise, practitioners should pay attention to a healthy, scientific diet for good health and a balanced physique.

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Reference source: healthline.com