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The Right Way to a Healthy Heart Part I: Vital Components
When it comes to building a strong heart, there are three essential components of cardiovascular exercise you must consider: frequency, duration, and intensity.
In addition, a safe and effective cardio workout should include a warm-up, a cool-down, and stretching of the primary muscles used in the exercise. Part one of this three-part series explains many of these elements. Part two will discuss how to monitor exercise intensity and heart-zone training.
Frequency of Exercise
The first component of cardiovascular exercise is the frequency of exercise, which refers to the number of exercise sessions per week. To improve both cardiovascular fitness and to decrease body fat -- or maintain body fat at optimum levels -- you should exercise at least three days a week. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends three to five days a week for most cardiovascular programs.
Those of you who are very out of shape and doing weight-bearing cardiovascular exercise, such as an aerobics class or jogging, might want to have at least 36 to 48 hours of rest between workouts. The rest will help prevent injury and promote adequate bone and joint stress recovery.
 Warming Up and Stretching
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