How do I get the most out of my workout when doing CARDIO???

Hi friends!  It's another gorgeous sunny day that I myself have been enjoying all day with my son Pry'nce and realized....I need to talk real quick to my blog friends.  Now the topic I am going to speak on briefly today is how to get the most out of your cardio workout.  So are you ready??  Here you go!

Okay, we have all seen that person at the gym with their treadmill hiked sky high (so far so good...work those glutes!) but when we take a second glance, we notice not only is the treadmill hiked up to the max, but the person on it is holding on for dear life...pounding on it like this "THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!"  You get the picture!  Did you see this person today?  Were YOU that person today?  I hope not!  Listen, if you're planning on burning some serious calories and want to get the most out of your cardio workout on the treadmill, then put your incline at a level that is challenging but still allows you to pump your arms for extra calorie burn and lower the speed so you aren't about to fly off into the person on the treadmill behind you or even worse...through the glass window!  You definitely get an A for effort and for being ambitious enough to hike the incline up, but once again do it at a level that allows you to maximize the benefits out of that exercise which is being able to move your arms while walking at that incline...

Now, I personally could stay on the elliptical for hours...all I have to do is dvr a bunch of my favorite Reality shows (yes, I'm one of those people!) and I'm good to go.  But if you're READING  a magazine or book while on the elliptical, you are NOT getting the most from your workout.  First of all, I would have a major headache from moving up and down while trying to read at the same time...the lines in my magazine or book would blur.  Instead of doing that, PUMP YOUR ARMS as though you are running stairs and bring your intensity up to where you perform high knees at 5 min intervals.  Your heart rate and calorie burn will thank you later!

Finally, the last piece of cardio equipment I'm going to speak about today is the Stairclimber.  You know the machine I'm talking about...the one that you see the same people on EVERYDAY for hours at a time while carrying on conversations hunched over as though they are about to collapse.  Here's the deal, the stairclimber is great!  Evil...but great!  I'm not going to tell you to pump your arms on this machine, but I am going to say if you really want to get the maximum amount of benefits from it, STOP leaning over it like you are about to die, stand up straight and move at a quick pace.  This machine is great if you want to build your glutes.  Switch it up into intervals...10 minutes at a quick pace of steps around level 10-12 for about 10 minutes than slow it down at level 7-8 and do straight leg kick backs for another 10 minutes then if you really feel ambitious, put it on level 18-20 and jog up and down for 2-5 minutes to really get your heart rate up.   But no more leaning over...open your lungs!

So I hope you found my personal and professional opinion on how to perform cardio more effectively helpful today...and don't worry if you were one of "those people" I spoke about, it's okay!  It's never too late to change!  Get the most out of your workout...

I have now decided that every month I'm going to showcase one video for the month rather than a new one every week...so today's video is going to be one of my personal favorites which is outdoor fun with my son Pry'nce.  If you haven't worked out yet today, grab your kids when it cools down and go have some fitness fun!  Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed today's blog and fitness video.  As I always say...if you haven't done so yet, join TODAY as a follower of my blog if you enjoy it.  Have a fabulously fitness filled week!

As Always...Stay Fit and Happy!
Famisha :-)