Cardio fitness or cardiovascular fitness refers to the ability of the body’s cardiovascular system which consists of the lungs, heart, and blood vessels to supply oxygenated blood to working muscles with efficiency.
This also means that the muscles are able to maximize the use of this oxygen delivered by the blood to power your movements. In short, your cardiovascular system is considered fit if circulation and oxygen use are efficiently done.
When you have cardiovascular fitness, you are able to withstand aerobically challenging activities regardless of the duration. Improved cardio fitness also reduces your risk of acquiring and developing various diseases related to the heart and lungs since the better your circulation, the less pressure is put on these organs.
The Importance of Cardiovascular Fitness
There are many reasons why cardio fitness is important and why cardio exercises are still required even for strength building. Here are some of these reasons:
It improves heart health and helps prevent a number of life-threatening diseases.
A healthy heart and circulatory system really go a long way. Your heart is probably the most overworked muscle of your body, pumping blood 24/7, nonstop. So just like any other muscle, it has to be worked in order to be strong. Otherwise, it will weaken overtime with a lot of negative effects on your overall health.
By regularly raising your heart rate, you can keep your heart in tiptop shape. This way you won’t get tired or winded after simple tasks like walking up the stairs or going around the block.
Cardiovascular fitness also helps prevent or reduce your risk of acquiring diseases like congestive heart failure, stroke, arterial blockage, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, angina, ischemia, cardiac arrhythmia, and coronary disease.
It boosts your metabolism.
Aside from your heart rate and circulation, cardio exercises also improve the rate of other bodily processes, like your metabolism. In general, the higher the intensity of your cardio session, the more noticeable is the increase in your metabolic rate.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) exercises are especially great in improving your metabolism due to a process called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)
This corresponds to better and faster food digestion, nutrient absorption, and waste removal. A boosted metabolism will also make it much easier to lose weight or maintain a proper weight.
It helps improve your hormone levels.
Cardiovascular health and doing cardio exercises regularly result in a better hormonal profile in the body. This helps triggers the release of feel-good or happy hormones that reduce the symptoms of fatigue and depression. These hormones also suppress the appetite.
This is why people who do cardio usually have more positive outlooks on life, are less stressed, and generally have better mental health.
It shortens your muscle recovery period.