Supercharge Your Cardio

Where many people fail in exercise is that they never change their program. They start a workout plan, and achieve some immediate results, but after three or four weeks they plateau. They get frustrated and quit. This lack of results justifies being inactive. "I walked a mile and a half a day for three months and only lost one pound! It's just not worth it!"


You know what? It's not. But it could be if you knew how to do it right. The trap many people fall into is caused by the law of adaptation. When you start an exercise program, the body perceives it as additional stress. In the example of walking, it adapts to the added stress by changing. You lose a pound or two of fat to make the body easier to move. You build some increased lower leg strength to help move the body more efficiently. Then the changes stop. You have already adapted. Walking a mile and a half is no longer stress. The body has changed, and your current workout plan will no longer help you become more fit.

The good news is that this is easy to fix. You just have to keep making the workout slightly harder on a regular basis. Occasionally you will have to change it all together. But first, let's focus on the basics: walking. Anyone can do it, and it doesn't require any special equipment. Now let's get to the actual plan.

We will start with a moderate goal. Go for a walk three times a week, for twenty minutes each workout. (If you are already doing more than this, keep doing it. Just follow the program I will outline below to improve the effectiveness of your current cardiovascular routine.) Preferably do this first thing in the morning; if you can't, don't worry about it. Exercising first thing in the morning does burn more fat. This is due to a myriad of physiological reasons, but without getting caught up in too much of the science, remember: the important thing is that you take action.

Now here comes the good part. Make sure to bring a watch with you. Walk away from your house for ten minutes at a brisk pace. After ten minutes, turn around. Remember exactly how far you got. It will be important the next time you exercise. Now walk home, making sure to maintain the same pace to ensure that you finish the workout in twenty minutes. Use a notebook or an exercise log to record how far you traveled during your workout.

The next time you walk, travel the same route. But make sure you get further. Make sure you cover more ground in the same amount of time. It doesn't have to be much more; even five or ten yards will make a difference.

By doing this, you ensure that each workout is a little bit harder than the previous one. It ensures that you are always putting added stress on the body and burning more and more calories. You will continue to make progress on a daily basis and your body will continue to adapt to the new stress.

If you prefer to workout on an exercise machine, no problem. Most treadmills and elliptical machines read distance. After your twenty minutes, write down how far you traveled and make sure you beat it next time you workout. DO NOT lower the incline level between workouts, as this could lower the intensity even though you travel a further distance. This will defeat the purpose and waste your time. Your time is too important to waste.

How does that plan sound? Pretty simple, right? Now get going and start walking!