As the new year approaches, many consider adopting a healthier lifestyle. Are you among those trying to improve their health? Perhaps you are intimidated and wish to increase your physical activity more gradually. You may want to feel less winded when ascending stairs or improve your overall endurance to participate in family activities.
Starting an exercise program with steady-state cardio-based activities may help you stick to your goals and achieve them.
WHAT EXACTLY IS STEADY-STATE CARDIO?
Steady-state cardio (S.S.C.) is a type of cardiorespiratory exercise that is low to moderate in intensity and done for an extended period. A steady state is achieved physiologically when the exerciser can produce enough oxygen to sustain the aerobic energy system, which provides for much of your body’s energy needs, allowing them to continue exercising at that pace; this happens when a person keeps their heart rate between 45 and 65% of their maximum heart rate, which can be lower for beginners and higher for people with more experience.
When most people think of steady-state cardio, they envision spending 30 to 60 minutes walking or running on a treadmill. Many other activities may be employed for this type of training. Yet, steady-state exercise is accomplished through activities other than cardio equipment at a regular gym. Hiking, outdoor cycling, spinning to your favorite song, indoor cycling, dancing exercise courses, Zumba, brisk strolling with friends or family, swimming, or trail running are all enjoyable. Several of these activities also increase time spent outside or socializing, which can lead to decreased cortisol levels and better overall health.
WHAT ARE THE PERKS?
WEIGHT LOSS
Although High-Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) gets all the attention on social media, S.S.C. is still a viable alternative for fat loss. A recent meta-analysis that compared the benefits of H.I.I.T. and S.S.C. for fat loss found that both worked just as well in research studies examining how well they helped people lose fat.
Even though H.I.I.T. was more efficient, it was similar to S.S.C. at getting rid of fat. Similarly, the researchers note that when exercisers choose intensity and time, adherence scores improve, with S.S.C. faring better for many study participants. With time, consistency will lead to more significant fat loss.
MUSCLE ENDURANCE AND AEROBIC CAPACITY ARE INCREASED
Muscular endurance and aerobic capacity are essential in everyday life. Playing with your children, carrying groceries, pushing a stroller, gardening, and doing house duties, particularly stair climbing, all put our cardiorespiratory and muscular systems to work. At moderate levels of at least 45% of VO2 max, S.S.C. can help improve muscle endurance and aerobic capacity.
S.S.C. increases the number of mitochondria in muscle cells, allowing them to meet growing energy needs; this aids in improving muscle endurance. In the same way, the heart will respond to higher oxygen needs by increasing cardiac output, which makes it easier for oxygen to get to working muscle cells and improves aerobic capacity, allowing you to avoid getting tired while climbing stairs or playing hoops with your kids.
RECOVERY IS EASIER
High-weight training and high-intensity cardio workouts put a lot of stress on the muscles, connective tissue, and nervous system; this is good because stress causes changes in these systems that help them get better. However, if you do a lot of high-intensity workouts, you need time to recover between each one.
S.S.C., primarily when performed for less than 60 minutes, rarely necessitates ample recovery time. Also, if you engage in high-intensity training, low-intensity S.S.C. can be employed at the end of an exercise session to aid in recuperation.
A study of 26 trained athletes compared the effects of adding S.S.C. (low intensity) after H.I.I.T. to passive recovery in terms of time to recovery. The authors discovered that adding 15 minutes of S.S.C. after a H.I.I.T. bout did not further stress the neural system and improved recovery time compared to the passive recovery group. The researchers believe the S.S.C. episode triggered adaptive mechanisms that accelerated healing.
Beginners may find it easier to maintain consistency.
Consistency is the most critical aspect of achieving any form of health improvement goal. Whatever fitness routine you choose must be highly maintainable, especially if it is a New Year’s resolution.
S.S.C. may be a good alternative for novices, people with severe obesity, older people, and people with heart difficulties. In the same way, S.S.C. is done in several safe, practical, fun, and social habits, which makes it an excellent choice for people who don’t like to exercise and are just starting.
HOW TO CREATE A ROUTINE: START SMALL AND GROW
A little bit of anything is preferable to a lot of nothing; this is true when starting a new workout regimen and attempting to establish a sustainable routine.
STEP 1
Find S.S.C. activities that interest you. Do you prefer to exercise outside or inside? Do you like walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, or hiking? Establishing a list of activities you find enjoyable and fascinating is beneficial. Having multiple options can help you stay interested with more significant variation.
You’d like to join a weekly rucking club, organize a bike ride to a favorite local spot another day, and attend a Zumba class with your best pals on weekends. You can also get motivated by listening to your favorite songs, podcasts, or audiobooks while you work out.
STEP 2
Establish reasonable goals for these activities’ frequency, duration, and intensity. Remember that consistency takes precedence over power. Lower-intensity activities that you can maintain week after week are far superior to moderate- or higher-intensity exercises that you burn out soon. Check to see if these things are feasible in your daily schedule. Even with a hectic schedule, adding a 20-minute stroll at lunch three times per week or attending a weekly cycling class is doable.
STEP 3
Locate friends and relatives who will join you or hold you accountable for your new hobbies. Participating in S.S.C. with a friend or family member might provide the added benefit of sociability and give you and your beloved friends or family time together. It is considerably more challenging to cancel a walking date with a friend than to decide that you would rather watch T.V. than go for an evening or morning walk.
STEP 4
Once you’ve mastered your routine, consider making your S.S.C. sessions more frequent, complicated, or longer to improve muscle endurance, fat loss, and aerobic capacity. Remember that consistency outweighs all of these factors, so check in with yourself to ensure you can maintain your S.S.C. program.
Ultimately, we say,
Although there is some evidence that higher-intensity exercise is more effective for weight loss, consistency is more important than the number of calories burned in a single exercise session. S.S.C. may be a less daunting option for first-time exercisers, elderly folks, and anyone with specific health concerns or limits.
Steady-state cardio may be a great addition to an existing program or a fun, long-term way to improve your health.