Cardiovascular or cardio exercise is an important part of your exercise routine and an essential part of the fat-burning process. The one thing that most people do not understand is that their cardio session does not start until their heart rate reaches 60 percent of their maximum heart rate. It may take five minutes to get to that 60 percent, and only then does your cardio session start.A common way to calculate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 27 years young like me, you subtract 27 from 220, which is 193. That figure – 193 – is my maximum heart rate. My cardio session starts when I reach 60 percent of 193, and I stay between 60 percent and 80 percent for at least 30 to 45 minutes. Your body does not start burning fat until about 20 minutes into the session.The body has to use up the existing glycogen in the muscles before it can start using the body’s most efficient fuel source, which is fat. If you are new to cardio training or you are just getting back to it, do not start by running a 5K race because you will get hurt. Start your exercise program by walking, biking, swimming, hiking or doing any other activity you enjoy. Then, slowly increase the intensity by adding another minute or two a week, picking up the pace a little at a time until you are able to hold a good pace for 30 to 45 minutes. After you are comfortable with your fitness level, start with internal training for a better fat effect (one-minute walk; one-minute sprint). Cardio exercise not only burns fat but also conditions your heart to work more efficiently for a longer and healthier life.Tony’s Fitness is based at Woodmen Hill’s Recreation Center West.
