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Wellness Wednesday: Cardio

The last weeks of nursing school have been quite frazzling lately. And the best way to "burn out" any frustration, stress, and nerves - for me - is a good, hard cardio session!

So here I am going to leave you with my favorite cardio work-out to get my heart pumping! I know we are all at different fitness levels, or maybe we aren't all runners. But this workout can be applied to walking, running, biking, etc.

It's a cardio workout that involves INTERVALS. Make you sure pick a good baseline. IF you don't have a tredmill/exercise machine - then judge your intervals by the "breath test". How hard are you breathing and exerting yourself?

So here it is! (I'm doing this running style at my pace, since that's how I "roll")

1-3 min...........Warm up (7.5 mph) - The pace ou pick here should be your "baseline"
4-8 min...........Interval 1. Each minute increase your pace a little more. (ex: 8 mph, 8.2, 8.5, 9 mph)
9-10 min.........Cool back down. Go back to baseline (7.5)
10-14 min.......Interval 2. Each minute either incline the tredmill or speed up an interval.
14-16 min.......Cool down to baseline.
16-20 min.......Interval 3. Each minute increase the pace.
20-22 min.......Cool down to baseline.
22-26 min.......Interval 4. Incline again! (Or just speed up if you're on the ground)
26-28 min........Cool down to baseline
28-32 min........Interval 5. Speed up the pace again
32-34 min........Cool Down to baseline
34-38 min.........Incline or Speed up - you get to choose this time (how exciting!)
38-40 min.........Cool down
Workout Complete!!!

This is a workout that is set up to increase your VO2 Max - which is your maximum oxygen consumption. I have been doing variations of this work out for years whenever I'm trying to get into shape - and I've cut MINUTES off my running time!

I started out just doing this for 20 minutes and worked up to 40!

Enjoy!!

Comments

Lisa's Yarns said…
Did you know that can also be called a Fartlek work out? Do you remember that phrase from reading the Marathon training book?

I def need to incorporate more interval training into my regimen. I might start doing that for one of my shorter 3 mile runs during the week. I also am going to start doing 800m speed work at a local track.

But that wll have to wait until next week. Because I am laid up with an ankle injury right now. How did I injure my ankle? Oh, doing cartwheels for teh boys on Sunday. I am an f'ing moron. What was I thinking?

So yah, not too happy right now. Currently icing and praying that I can do a 6 mile run on Sat and 12 on Sunday and stay on track. If this injury forces me to take more than 5 days off, I am going to freak out.
Marlys said…
You inspire me to do something! I don't suppose pushing a lawnmower and dragging a trimmer around for 3 hours a week counts, huh? Shucks!

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