Cardio training or aerobic exercise is any activity that employs the use of considerably large groups of muscles in a continuous and rhythmic manner throughout certain periods of time. The most common examples of which are running, skiing, skating, sprinting, tae bo, elliptical training, walking, rowing, and biking. In some cases, circuit training is also categorized as cardio training since it requires continuous movements from one form of exercise to another.

In essence, cardio training works by elevating the maximum heartbeat the organ may reach somewhere around 65-80%. This state is called aerobic or heart beat state because only in here, and in some special instances will the heart reach such great increase in heart rate.

As we all know, there are many benefits that may be had with cardio training. Aside from strengthening and raising the level of endurance of the heart and the lungs, cardio training also helps burn unwanted fats and calories. And since heart problems are one of the major contributing factors to prevalent premature death among men and women, it is extremely important to get involved with any forms of cardio vascular training.

Experts would recommend a minimum of 25 minutes up to 60 minutes of cardio training per session. And there should be a minimum of three sessions in a week and a maximum of five. Being that the normal session should range for around 30 to 40 minutes.

Most people perform cardio training to burn excess calories. With obesity as one of the leading health problems in the Western world today, people are seriously considering doing cardio workouts since they burn much more fats and carbohydrates in so little span of time. But it must be noted that the amount of calories burned during cardio training will always be dependent on the body weight of the exerciser, the intensity of his workouts and the type of activity he does.

Since cardio training is almost always interchangeable with aerobics exercises, it is better to give you a view of what aerobics exercises really are.

Simply put, aerobics exercise is a series of rhythmic exercises that involve large muscle groups (much like with the definition we have for cardio training). The only difference thereof is that aerobics exercises are usually performed along with music in a class of exercisers. But for the majority of active participants, aerobics is much more than that. It is a lifestyle and a philosophy at the same time. On one hand, it is a modernized category of entire body exercise. On another, it is a form of exercise that is both motivating and fun.

Aerobics exercises are ways to improve coordination, mobility and muscle strength along with a number of other things such as psychological and physiological well-being. This form of exercise provide a large host of benefits such as improving your over-all fitness, burning of calories, lowering your susceptibility against developing cardiac arrests and other forms of heart problems. It also increases your mobility, muscle endurance, body postures, reduces stress and alleviate self-esteem by helping you manage your weight properly.

Because cardio training is extremely popular among exercisers, it now has developed numerous sets of styles and procedures that cater almost all the requirements if each individual. Yet, all these may be futile if the motivation of the person himself towards performing cardio training is lacking.

Ask just about anyone what is the best way to lose weight or burn body fat, and 99% will answer “Cardio!”.

Well, I hate to bust your bubble, but I’m here to tell you that cardio is downright worthless for weight loss.

That’s right, all these years you’ve been led to believe one of the biggest misconceptions in regards to an efficient weight loss workout plan.

Everyone seems to think that cardio / aerobics is the best way to quickly melt off fat from the body, and as a result, some even neglect or give cardio the preference over weight training.

All you have to do is go to the gym.

Guaranteed that you’ll see more people filling up the cardio machines and stepping classes than the hardcore weight equipment.

Take a good look at the aerobics instructors themselves.

Most of them are straight up overweight. No definition whatsoever to be found.

Yet, they step and dance away for sometimes hours a day, but there’s not an ab in site!

Why is this?

First, when I say that cardio is worthless, I’m referring to not being efficient for burning / losing body fat.

I’m not referring to strengthening the cardiovascular system or increasing endurance.

But keep in mind that there is a big difference between building endurance and burning fat.

Again, that’s why you see these overweight aerobics instructors that can probably do well in a triathlon (because of excellent endurance), but don’t lose any fat weight.

And even when it does come down to training to building cardiovascular endurance cardio still isn’t as good as intense weight training, which I have gone into detail in several articles I have written on this subject.

Here’s just one of the many reasons why cardio is worthless for burning body fat and losing weight:

Cardio uses very few muscular fibers, meaning it requires a much lower amount of calories to perform in comparison to weight training.

As a matter of fact, did you know that just 1 pound of body fat can give your body enough energy to perform up to 12 hours of cardio???!!!

Stating it another way…you have to do 12 hours of cardio to burn just 1 pound of fat.

So, all that time that you stepped away on the cardio machine or aerobics class for an hour, working up a good sweat, and feeling good about yourself, you didn’t even burn 1/4 of a pound.

As I’ve stated over and over in my articles, there’s 2 and only 2 decisive factors in truly burning body fat:

1) intense weight training

2) eating less calories than your body needs

If you do these 2 things correctly, you’ll blow away all of those poor souls stomping away on the treadmill.

Copyright (c) 2006 Jonathan Perez

The Russians do quite well in Olympic swimming, and if one notices, it is apparent that while some others are huffing and puffing through their mouths, many Russian athletes appear to practice exercises similar to Buteyko exercises before sports performances. Just as eating a bowl of spaghetti 15 minutes before an event would be detrimental, so is increasing the breathing. The Russian Natalia Molchanova has broken almost all categories of freediving records, and it is interesting to watch her breathing before a dive, as well as after a dive. Static Apnea training also includes minimizing breath.

To put it simply, Buteyko exercises are a set of tools, which allow asthmatics and others who are prone to hypocapnia (deficiency of carbon dioxide in the blood resulting from hyperventilation) caused by overbreathing, to return to stasis without (or with fewer) drugs, under medical supervision. Buteyko breathing exercises recalibrate the baroreceptors and parasympathetic nervous system, allowing for a lower breathing rate, and more normalized CO2, carbonate and pH levels in the blood, allowing the tissues to utilize oxygen better. Remember doctors using paper bags to stabilize asthmatics? (Do not breathe into a bag without medical supervision!)

Years ago I took a confined space training class, and we took turns blowing into an O2 detector after holding our breaths. Most trainees yielded 16-18% O2. I blew a 14% since I held my breath much longer. Assuming that the office had ~19% O2, this taught me that normal breathing is not very efficient, and perhaps has to be inefficient to allow for sufficient tensile strength of lung and vascular tissue, and delicate balance of blood chemicals. It occurred to me that more volume of air passing through the lungs does not necessarily mean that more oxygen is being passed to the bloodstream.

Two days after diving in the Pacific ocean, I was hiking in the snow up Cotopaxi at about 16,000′ (+4800m) above sea level. My extremely fit, but asthma-prone girlfriend began having shortness of breath. I also became light headed, and began experimenting with my breath as I trekked up the volcano. Several such times I inhaled deeply and compressed my chest with my intercostal (rib) muscles for a long moment. This seemed to help increase my consciousness even after I released the breath, and I realized that I had the power to change my physiologic state quite simply. It became clear to me how the mechanics of overbreathing/ heavy breathing and the partial pressure dynamics (elaborated by Buteyko doctors and scientists) may have much to do with the asthmatic response.

Many doctors now agree that overconsumption of nutrients (overeating) does not guarantee more nutrients to the tissues, but not many seem to consider respiration rate in the respiration equation, that overbreathing may play a key role in respiratory “disease.” In fact, some doctors no longer check respiration rate during an exam. It is commonly known that increased obesity results in metabolism dysfunction, large meals cause blood sugar spikes and metabolism accelerators (dieting drugs and supplements) due not increase stasis in tissues, making loss of fat more difficult in the long term. Similarly, overbreathing causes a spiraling of processes which decrease alvioli efficiency, disrupting breathing rate “calibration” and oxygenation of other tissues, decreasing health and oxygenation. Despite more oxygen entering the lungs, because of the low CO2 level, less oxygen actually makes it to the cells that need it. This overbreathing could be triggered by stress, anxiety, nasal congestion, allergies and other triggers and factors which cause people to breathe more frequently and deeply than their body would otherwise. One problem of low CO2 levels is a scientific hypothesis proposed by Artour Rakhimov, PhD, that chronic hyperventilation promotes disease and cancer. Previous research has suggested that chronic hyperventilation washes out CO2 from each cell of the human organism. Since CO2 is a dilator of small blood vessels, low CO2 concentrations lead to the constrictions of arterioles causing problems with blood and oxygen delivery.

In addition, low CO2 values cause inability of red blood cells to efficiently release whatever little oxygen they bring (the suppressed Bohr effect). The final outcome is hypoxia in the tissues, including the vital organs.

Some argue that “We are under constant stress because we don’t breathe enough,” without really measuring the actual volume of gases inhaled. Typically respiratory rate and volume increase when stress increases. Even the Johnson & Johnson Company sponsored research by University of Miami School of Medicine (Director Tiffany Field, Ph.D.) shows that massage increased pulmonary function in asthma patients. Once I was at the doctor, and a nurse assistant checked my pulse, bp and respiratory rate: the assistant reported that I had 18 breaths per minute, however I measured 6-7 breaths. I asked how she measured it, and she stated simply that “everyone has 18-20 breaths.” Such inaccuracy may lead to wrong conclusions by medical staff.

In 2005, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reported that “Hypocapnic but Not Metabolic Alkalosis Impairs Alveolar Fluid Reabsorption.” What this means is that a low CO2 level causes blood pH to change, and more fluid build up in the lungs. Thus the more a person breathes, the more CO2escapes, and more fluid may build up in the lungs. Buteyko theory includes the facts of the body’s attempts to regulate carbonates and alkalinity.

Although Buteyko Therapy originated in the Ukraine Forty years ago, and has gained medical acceptance in Russia, Australia, Asia and England, it remains a seldom used “alternative” treatment in the USA. My mentor, John Harris, brought the first Buteyko Therapy Practitioner to the USA in the 1980’s: Rosalba Courtney, ND, DO, DipAc, CA, an Australian osteopath, naturopath, California-certified acupuncturist, and chairperson of the Australasian Buteyko Association. The practice has been taught to many practitioners and countless patients who, under medical supervision, have overcome much or all of their dependence on asthma medications. John is said to breathe 3/min at rest, and 1/min during meditation.

Most meditation practices promote slowed breathing, and can accomplish these effects, when breathing is slowed more in ratio to the metabolic rate. Vocalizing the typical “oum” slowly while breathing through the nose only, will slow the breathing, and CO2 levels can stabilize toward a normal level. It is the respiratory rate and partial pressures that mainly control how much O2 in the lungs will pass into the blood. Proper singing and playing wind instruments may have similar effects, partly due to the increased partial pressure inside the lungs.

Most Pilates trainers, Yoga instructors and even physicians speak of shallow and deep breathing, but frequently don’t specify breathing rate, or encourage increased rate. Some yoga classes sound like an aerospace wind tunnel. However experienced yogis are rarely seen panting, and even with Ujjayi Pranayama, they breathe s-l-o-w-l-y, which along with the resistance of Ujjayi, causes partial pressure inside the lungs to absorb more of the oxygen while keeping enough carbon dioxide to maintain balance. Have you ever seen a Buddhist monk panting? Have you noticed that healthy older people do not breathe noticeably?

By slowing breathing to more fully utilize O2 efficiency and not depleting CO2 levels necessary for proper muscle and lung physiology, Buteyko breathing is said to enhance performance. Traditional Pilates and certain specific yoga practices that encourage faster breathing rates thus may cause an opposite effect. After I began to master these techniques, my breathing slowed during my workouts, and my efficiency increased. I learned that if my mouth would open during a run, it was time to back off, slow the exhale, until my efficiency increased again. Once you open the mouth, the breathing efficiency goes down the toilet. Now if a sprint is required, forget the rules, and when activity slows, then immediately slow the breath. Watch a video of Natalia Molchanova, world record freediver, and see how slowly she breathes after swimming under water for several minutes. I have also found that “catching” the breath only throws the balance off.

Since this also affects blood pressure, a US Patent has been issued for use to control hypertension. The American Lung Association has informed me that since most research has been in Russia and Australia, they are waiting for more USA trials on Buteyko before they comment or promote it for asthma.

One day I was examining the lungs of a cadaver and noticed that significantly diseased lungs with a fraction of their original available surface area still kept the person alive. Later that day as I was swimming (controlled breathing exercise, right?) I experimented with different breathing depths and rates, and thought of Buteyko’s theory, and that wide ranges of breathing patterns may have strong effects on what the lungs pass to and from the bloodstream, and resultant physiological responses. Apparently humans are overdesigned in many ways, thus improper function may occur for long periods before symptoms become apparent, and finally nudge a person to submit to crisis-control allopathy.

About ten months after NPR, and eight months after Oprah Winfrey started a neti bowl craze, I noticed that neti bowls were more popular on the net, but at a drugstore I asked two pharmacists for “nasal irrigation such as neti bowl or neti pot” and they did not know what it was. I was promptly shown the medications section, and then I found and showed the pharmacist a plastic irrigation bottle which the store carried.

One day I was swimming in the ocean with a tight wetsuit for about 45 minutes, I then swam to the beach and all of a sudden, I noticed that my breathing was still rapid although my effort was decreasing as I rode some waves in. I began to overventilate, and experienced my first taste of pre-asthmatic behavior.

I was in a yoga class, and the instructor was discussing Pranic Breathing. He said that he would demonstrate, but that it may cause him to start coughing. I wondered why anyone would practice a breathing type that would cause coughing?

At the 2007 IDEA Conference, I began a test for O2/ CO2 output, but the test was suspended because the machine kept turning off due to my breathing rate of 6-7 breaths per minute. The tester stated that I had to breathe at least 10 breaths per minute to keep the machine on! I decided to abandon the test.

Manual Bodywork can also help stabilize body systems by assisting the parasympathetic system to resume control. Nevertheless, always consult a medical doctor before beginning or changing an exercise or treatment program, or when you have new symptoms.

My son, let’s call him Alex, was starting to read and recognize letters, so I asked him to tell me the letters in the headline of the newspaper. He looked at them and identified them in English and then French. Then I said, “Cover one eye and tell me the letters.” Again he told me all the letters.

I asked him to cover the other eye. “But mom,” he said, “If I do that I won’t be able to see.” I was flabbergasted. That’s how we found out our son had difficulty seeing.

We immediately made an appointment with an Optometrist and then with a child Ophthalmologist to identify what was going on. We had not anticipated any difficulties with his sight and happened to stumble across a significant discovery while playing a game one afternoon. We detected, by chance, that Alexr had trouble with his vision. Our son, a healthy, vibrant 51/2-year-old boy, loving to read and take part in sports, is amblyopic.

Amblyopia, or Lazy Eye, is where the vision in one eye is weaker than the other. I found it comforting to know that according to the Canadian Association of Optometrists fact sheet, “Facts about Children and Vision”; my son was one of the three per cent of children to have “Lazy Eye”.

The Ophthalmologist was positive that early treatment would help rectify the situation. Early treatment is required and if left untreated the child’s brain will develop a clear picture with the good eye, which means the weak eye, won’t function well. The child’s brain will then ignore the weak eye and use the stronger eye in attempt to see and therefore never develop vision in their weak eye.

Alex’s left, weaker, eye was stuck in the early stages of development. His brain filled in the blanks. And we, as active involved parents, did not even have an inkling of what was happening. He now wears glasses to stimulate development.

We now know that the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) recommends an eye examination for children before their third birthday and again each year while in school. This is to detect common, treatable problems such as strabismus (crossed-eyes), amblyopia (lazy eye) or the need for glasses.

Had we known what to look for we may have caught it sooner. In hindsight, I remember him turning his head to read or look at a book. Now I know that he was using his ‘good’ eye to see. He did not display any of the other common symptoms such as; rubbing his eyes, avoiding close work such as reading or colouring, complaining of headaches or avoiding sports.

The Ontario Association of Optometrists identifies that 1 in 5 children have a vision problem. Detecting vision troubles is not as difficult as it sounds. Prepare yourself to observe your child and find out if s/he is seeing properly.

Now, a word of advice, get your child’s eyes checked before they start school. We did not get our son’s eyes checked until he was 5 ½ and we only got them checked because, by accident, we found a problem.

Vision Test for Children

The vision test for children is similar yet different than the adult test. For a young child, an optometrist won’t go through all the usual tests and questions of an eye exam. Children are not required to read or recognize alphabet eye charts. Pediatric ophthalmologists have special eye charts with ducks, hands, cars and motorboats. Eye exams can even be performed if your child isn’t talking yet.

The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) recommends that a thorough eye examination should include:

• A review of your child’s health and vision history.

• Tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, color perception, lazy eye, crossed-eyes, eye coordination, depth perception and focusing ability.

• An eye health examination.

Lots of affordable health insurance plans offer a choice of many cheap schemes. To choose the best plan from all that are available, a general understanding about health insurance is important. For a detailed understanding of the plan, we need to find out how the insurance handles various medical processes such as physical examinations, health screenings, care by specialists, hospitalization, emergency care, prescription drugs, vision care, dental service, and services provided for drug and alcohol abuse. The cost of each plan depends on how much you have to pay for the health insurance premium and other costs.

There should not be any co-payments for the services provided by the health insurance company selected. Insurance holders should ensure whether the insurance plan covers all services and health care they need before taking the health insurance. Most affordable health insurance plans provide both individual and group health insurance. Individual health insurance plans may not offer as many benefits as group health insurance plans.

There are many affordable insurance plans provided by health insurance companies. Many aspects should be considered before comparing the plans such as service offered, choice of providers, location, and costs. The quality of the care provided by the insurance plan should be an important criterion. You can check out individual doctors and hospital facilities for all kinds of health insurance plans before purchasing the insurance. To ensure the quality of medical care, one needs to ask the health insurance company how it assures good medical care. The survey results of health insurance plans also help you measure the quality services. Many affordable health insurance plans produce report cards that include the satisfaction survey results and other information on quality.

Health Insurance for Self Employed - How to Find Affordable Health Care

Seems like the cost of health insurance is out of control these days. How do you afford to insure you and your family if you’re self employed? Where can you find affordable health insurance? Here’s a few ways to help you get affordable health insurance if you’re self-employed:

Self Employed Health Insurance Plans

There are numerous types of health insurance plans available to the self employed including the managed health care insurance plans. These plans go by the names of HMO, PPO, and POS medical care plans. Managed care plans help keep costs down by using a network of health care providers when you’re sick or injured.

As a member of a managed care plan, all you have to do is show your membership card to a doctor or hospital within your network of providers to obtain medical care. Most managed care health insurance plans cover doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency room, lab tests, therapy, and x-rays.

In order to keep costs down, managed health care plans usually have a copayment fee for doctor and hospital visits. This fee is typically $15 to $20 per visit. Copayments can also apply to prescription drugs, after which the insurance provider picks up the remainder of the tab.

Health Insurance Quotes for the Self Employed

One of the best ways to find affordable health insurance quotes is to go to a free insurance quote website. There you can get competitive quotes from up to 5 health insurance providers so you can compare plans and prices. After you have your quotes, you can look more closely at the policies and decide which one is the best for you.