We hear a lot about cardiovascular fitness on television and even in the news. We read about cardio workouts and exercises in health magazines and fitness blogs. But there are likely a lot of people who are not clear on what is meant by those terms. You can’t exactly improve your cardiovascular health through cardiovascular fitness if you are unclear of what cardiovascular does cardiovascular fitness mean.

 
So, if you are still reading, you are probably interested in exactly what does cardiovascular fitness mean. Cardiovascular fitness has to do with the efficiency at which your heart, lungs, and blood vessels carry and utilize oxygen within the blood. When these organs efficiently deliver oxygen to the muscles, prolonged physical activity can take place. In addition to improving the endurance of your fitness capabilities, cardiovascular fitness can improve your heart and lung functions even when you are at rest.

Cardiovascular health has many positive effects on your overall health. When discussing what does cardiovascular fitness mean, you would be remiss to neglect talking about these benefits. Good cardiovascular health has been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease total cholesterol, decrease resting heart rate, decrease in body fat, decrease in stress, and increase heart function. Have you ever got winded walking up a flight of stairs? Cardiovascular fitness can help that!

Once you learn what does cardiovascular fitness mean you are probably interested in how you can improve your cardiovascular health. The answer is: through cardiovascular exercise! Exercise that gets your heart rate up for an extended period will increase your heart and lung health. You will improve the body’s ability to utilize oxygen and overtime you will be able to do more and more.

Things like running, aerobics, kickboxing, and circuit training can all be good cardio workouts. If it leaves you winded, it is likely working your heart and lungs. One way to measure a cardio workouts effectiveness or level of intensity is through your heart rate. Stop midway through your workout and take your pulse. Your heart rate can be a good indication of how intense the workout is and how fit you are getting. As you improve your cardiovascular health, it will take a more intense workout to get your heart rate up.

A great way to measure and monitor your cardio health is with a heart rate monitor. By understanding what does cardiovascular fitness mean you can be on your way to improving your overall health.

Your resting heart rate is how many times your heart beats in a minute when you are at rest. When you heart beats it pushes blood throughout the body. People whose heart has to work harder will have a higher resting heart rate than those with a very strong heart. A very strong heart pumps more blood with each beat and therefore requires fewer beats per minute.
 
Your resting heart rate then is a decent indicator of your heart strength. The resting heart rate is best taken in the morning before you get out of bed. By placing your fingers on the neck or wrist to find a pulse and tracking beats per minute you will arrive at your resting heart rate. To avoid counting beats for an entire minute, you can count them for ten seconds and take the result times 6 for the same answer.
 
Many elite athletes have very low resting heart rates. Long distance runners who work their hearts on a daily basis through extended training and cardiovascular exercise may have a resting heart rate as low as 30 in extreme cases. Ideally, adults want to have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Average resting heart rates for men are typically 70 and for women, 75.
 
 
Because the resting heart rate can be a good indicator of overall cardiovascular health it is something you should monitor. It can be interesting to take your heart rate before beginning a fitness training program and then again several weeks into it. There is no doubt you will see a reduction in the resting heart rate.

Activities that strengthen the heart and therefore lower the resting heart rate are called cardio or aerobic activities. Cardio exercises are an important part of any fitness program, burning calories and increasing heart health. Things like running, brisk walking, kickboxing, and bicycling are all good cardio activities that will aid in the strengthening of your heart.

Your resting heart rate is also used to determine a number called your “target heart rate”. Your target heart rate is the number of beats per minute you want your heart to reach during cardio activities. This number represents a good spot for calorie burning and for increasing heart strength. Check out this blog post for more information about finding your target heart rate.

By using your resting heart rate as a measuring tool in heart health, you can see how your cardio program aids your heart strength over time. It’s fascinating to watch that number drop as your heart gets more efficient at pumping blood through the body.