I highly recommend joining a gym, if you can somehow add it to your budget. It is actually not that expensive, compared to other areas of spending, such as cell phone bills and eating out. You should be able to get a membership for $20-$25 per month, which is very reasonable, considering it is an investment in your body. If you are a newcomer to the gym world, it can be very intimidating because you may not know what to do or how to do it. So here are some basics that can help you.
1. Start with CARDIO. All cardio equipment is easy to start. Find the big green button that says Start or QuickStart, and you will start to move. Some cardio machines require that you start moving or pedaling before you press start. The easiest setting is MANUAL, which allows you to increase and decrease your resistance level throughout your workout. It saves you from having to select workout specifics or input your height and weight. Slowly increase to >30 minutes of cardio at a moderate-high intensity (you may need to start at 10-15 minutes at low intensity and progress over several weeks-months). Try to do some cardio every time you are at the gym, even on your strength training days.
2. Don't be afraid of the MACHINE WEIGHTS. They may look complicated, but most of them are very simple to operate. There are instructions written on each machine that explain your seat and angle adjustments. Then you select your weight/resistance. Try different weights until you choose the appropriate amount (moderately challenging; you should be fatigued by the last few repetitions of each set). Then perform 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions. For example, start with 2 sets of 10. Progress to 3 sets of 10 in a few visits. Then increase to 3 sets of 15. Once you can do 30-40 repetitions at one weight, you can progress to the next level. Do not be afraid to ask the staff to show you how to use a piece of equipment. I'm not sure why, but there are usually at least 5 staff members at the front desk of my gym.
3. Choose a WORKOUT SCHEDULE. This will help to guide your daily exercise and strengthen all your muscle groups. If you are using the machine weights, each one states which muscles you are working. Do not strengthen the same muscle group on two consecutive days. It may help to divide the strength training into groups, such as arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, lower back, abdominals, legs. Then choose which days of the week you will exercise each muscle group. Try to strength train each body part at least 1-2x/week.
4. Try out some of the GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES. These are ideal for those of you who need extra instruction or are new to the gym. If the class does not make you sweat, it is likely too easy for you.
5. Lastly, borrow exercises from other people. You can get some great ideas from the exercises trainers give their clients. Or find the ab corner of the gym; you will see people doing much more than just crunches and sit-ups.
Showing posts with label cardio exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cardio exercise. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
10 Most Effective Strategies To Boost Your Workouts!
Do you do the same exercise routine every week? Do you go to the same machines every gym session? If so, this may be why you are not seeing the dramatic results you want from your weight loss program. So here are some suggestions to increase the intensity of your next workout! Not only will these boost your metabolism but they will make your gym time much more interesting and fun.
10 Most Effective Strategies to Boost Your Workouts:
1. Increase your speed. What is your present exercise pace? If you are not sweating profusely 5-10 minutes into your workout, then you may simply be exercising too slowly. Know your body and your fitness level before you turn up the speed too high (which could risk injury). If you have never increased your pace before, simply increase it in small increments. For example, if you walk at 3 miles per hour, try 3.5 miles per hour next time. Of if you jog at 6 miles per hour, try to increase to 7 mph in the next 2 weeks. Another example is the stair climber (one of my favorites). Try to increase your steps per minute so that you are not at the same pace for more than 1-2 weeks. You may start at 60 or 70, but work up to 100 or more in the next 1-2 months. If you cannot tolerate a faster pace for the entire workout, then do some faster intervals between bouts of your normal pace.
2. Increase your intensity level. A good example is riding the stationary bike. I commonly see fellow gym-goers pedaling slowly at level 1. And after 30 minutes, they have not even broken a sweat. If you are 80 years old, and both your knees have been replaced, then you have my blessing to stay at level 1. For everyone else, steadily increase your intensity by one level at a time. You likely can tolerate a higher level than you think. When was the last time you increased your weight amount for biceps curls or overhead press? Do you always do 3 sets of 8 on your leg weights? Each of these needs to increase periodically for maximum results.
3. Add a new form of cardio. Cross training helps to strengthen various muscle groups, provides rest for stressed tissues and boosts your overall fitness. So even if you are training to run a race, you should not run every day. Do another form of exercise that builds your endurance but that has less strain on your knees or feet. Or if you usually do the elliptical machine, try the stationary bike or stair climber next time. Do not do the same form of cardio every day unless you have no other options. For example, if you do not belong to a gym but walk in the neighborhood every morning, then continue to do so as you have been. To spice up a walking program, add more hills, a faster pace or walk-jog intervals.
4. Add strength training. I hate to say it, but there are some stairmaster hogs at our gym. There are only 3 stair machines, and they are almost always full. And I often see the same people on the same machines for a full hour. If you normally do cardio for an hour and then go home, then add strength training to your workouts. Here are some options. Do your normal cardio, then do 20 minutes of strengthening. Decrease your cardio to 45 minutes, then do 15 minutes of strengthening. Do 10 minute cardio intervals with 10 minute strength intervals (alternate back and forth). Do 30-40 minutes of cardio and 30-40 minutes of strengthening. Do all strengthening with high intensity cardio intervals (1 minute fast cardio for every 5 minutes of strengthening). If you belong to a gym and don't know what strengthening to do, try the machine weights or a strength class (such as body pump). A personal trainer can really help in this area (if you can afford it). Otherwise, do your own research to find websites, books or resources to give you new and various strength exercises. Building muscle tone increases your metabolism because muscles burn calories even when you are not exercising.
5. Work toward a goal. The type of goal depends on your reason for exercising. If you joined the gym in order to lose weight, then you should have some short-term and long-term weight goals. If you exercise for the cardiovascular benefits, then your goal may be to decrease your blood pressure or cholesterol levels. If your exercise is training for a race, then set a completion time goal. Without a goal, you can easily get into a workout rut. Any goal is appropriate as long as it challenges you to get the most out of every workout minute!
6. Find a challenging exercise partner. Do you find yourself clueless as to how to exercise? You don't know which machines to use or even how to use them. The easiest person to help you is a family member or friend that exercises regularly at a location close to you. The next option is asking someone at the gym to guide you. Most gym members are happy to help a newcomer. Of course a personal trainer is the ideal person to give you 1 on 1 attention and to really challenge you to reach and exceed your goals.
7. Join a new exercise class. If you only do Zumba or step aerobics, then try a new class sometime. You may love it even more than your present workout. Spinning class is likely one of the most challenging gym classes available. If you usually do a water aerobics class and do not have any injury, then you should progress to out-of-water classes to steadily improve your fitness level. This is especially true for young or middle-aged individuals. Join a class where the other students look fit and thin; there is likely something about their workouts that is effective! I also highly recommend body pump/body bar classes, which incorporate both cardio and strength training together.
8. Check your 1 rep max. This takes me back to high school weightlifting class with Coach Mac (Go Capitals)! To determine how much weight to lift on each strength exercise, first find out your 1 rep max. How much weight can you lift only once? If you can do it more than once, keep increasing until you know your maximum. For muscle bulking, you will do 70-80% of your 1 rep max and perform 3 sets of 10. For muscle toning, do 50-70% of your 1 rep max and perform 3-4 sets of 12-15.
9. Increase your gym time per session. If you normally exercise for 30 minutes, then increase it by 5-10 minutes or more! 30 minutes is the minimum recommended amount, but doing the minimum will likely produce less results. To achieve greater weight loss, increase your workout time! I recommend 60 minutes, 5-7x/week. Just be sure to increase it slowly. If you have not exercised in 10 years, start with 10-20 minutes. Then slowly work up to 30, then 45, then 60 minutes.
10. Increase your weekly gym sessions. Exercising 1-2x/week will not produce the benefits you seek, so increase your frequency! Depending on your schedule, see which day(s) you can add a workout. It is important to exercise daily if possible. Build it into your weekly routine so that you will not neglect it. Otherwise, it will easily fall off your to-do list. If you cannot exercise 5-6x/week, then do 4-5x/week. Every time you do, you are investing in your own body, which is the only one you have. So make it a priority because no one else can do it for you.
10 Most Effective Strategies to Boost Your Workouts:
1. Increase your speed. What is your present exercise pace? If you are not sweating profusely 5-10 minutes into your workout, then you may simply be exercising too slowly. Know your body and your fitness level before you turn up the speed too high (which could risk injury). If you have never increased your pace before, simply increase it in small increments. For example, if you walk at 3 miles per hour, try 3.5 miles per hour next time. Of if you jog at 6 miles per hour, try to increase to 7 mph in the next 2 weeks. Another example is the stair climber (one of my favorites). Try to increase your steps per minute so that you are not at the same pace for more than 1-2 weeks. You may start at 60 or 70, but work up to 100 or more in the next 1-2 months. If you cannot tolerate a faster pace for the entire workout, then do some faster intervals between bouts of your normal pace.
2. Increase your intensity level. A good example is riding the stationary bike. I commonly see fellow gym-goers pedaling slowly at level 1. And after 30 minutes, they have not even broken a sweat. If you are 80 years old, and both your knees have been replaced, then you have my blessing to stay at level 1. For everyone else, steadily increase your intensity by one level at a time. You likely can tolerate a higher level than you think. When was the last time you increased your weight amount for biceps curls or overhead press? Do you always do 3 sets of 8 on your leg weights? Each of these needs to increase periodically for maximum results.
3. Add a new form of cardio. Cross training helps to strengthen various muscle groups, provides rest for stressed tissues and boosts your overall fitness. So even if you are training to run a race, you should not run every day. Do another form of exercise that builds your endurance but that has less strain on your knees or feet. Or if you usually do the elliptical machine, try the stationary bike or stair climber next time. Do not do the same form of cardio every day unless you have no other options. For example, if you do not belong to a gym but walk in the neighborhood every morning, then continue to do so as you have been. To spice up a walking program, add more hills, a faster pace or walk-jog intervals.
4. Add strength training. I hate to say it, but there are some stairmaster hogs at our gym. There are only 3 stair machines, and they are almost always full. And I often see the same people on the same machines for a full hour. If you normally do cardio for an hour and then go home, then add strength training to your workouts. Here are some options. Do your normal cardio, then do 20 minutes of strengthening. Decrease your cardio to 45 minutes, then do 15 minutes of strengthening. Do 10 minute cardio intervals with 10 minute strength intervals (alternate back and forth). Do 30-40 minutes of cardio and 30-40 minutes of strengthening. Do all strengthening with high intensity cardio intervals (1 minute fast cardio for every 5 minutes of strengthening). If you belong to a gym and don't know what strengthening to do, try the machine weights or a strength class (such as body pump). A personal trainer can really help in this area (if you can afford it). Otherwise, do your own research to find websites, books or resources to give you new and various strength exercises. Building muscle tone increases your metabolism because muscles burn calories even when you are not exercising.
5. Work toward a goal. The type of goal depends on your reason for exercising. If you joined the gym in order to lose weight, then you should have some short-term and long-term weight goals. If you exercise for the cardiovascular benefits, then your goal may be to decrease your blood pressure or cholesterol levels. If your exercise is training for a race, then set a completion time goal. Without a goal, you can easily get into a workout rut. Any goal is appropriate as long as it challenges you to get the most out of every workout minute!
6. Find a challenging exercise partner. Do you find yourself clueless as to how to exercise? You don't know which machines to use or even how to use them. The easiest person to help you is a family member or friend that exercises regularly at a location close to you. The next option is asking someone at the gym to guide you. Most gym members are happy to help a newcomer. Of course a personal trainer is the ideal person to give you 1 on 1 attention and to really challenge you to reach and exceed your goals.
7. Join a new exercise class. If you only do Zumba or step aerobics, then try a new class sometime. You may love it even more than your present workout. Spinning class is likely one of the most challenging gym classes available. If you usually do a water aerobics class and do not have any injury, then you should progress to out-of-water classes to steadily improve your fitness level. This is especially true for young or middle-aged individuals. Join a class where the other students look fit and thin; there is likely something about their workouts that is effective! I also highly recommend body pump/body bar classes, which incorporate both cardio and strength training together.
8. Check your 1 rep max. This takes me back to high school weightlifting class with Coach Mac (Go Capitals)! To determine how much weight to lift on each strength exercise, first find out your 1 rep max. How much weight can you lift only once? If you can do it more than once, keep increasing until you know your maximum. For muscle bulking, you will do 70-80% of your 1 rep max and perform 3 sets of 10. For muscle toning, do 50-70% of your 1 rep max and perform 3-4 sets of 12-15.
9. Increase your gym time per session. If you normally exercise for 30 minutes, then increase it by 5-10 minutes or more! 30 minutes is the minimum recommended amount, but doing the minimum will likely produce less results. To achieve greater weight loss, increase your workout time! I recommend 60 minutes, 5-7x/week. Just be sure to increase it slowly. If you have not exercised in 10 years, start with 10-20 minutes. Then slowly work up to 30, then 45, then 60 minutes.
10. Increase your weekly gym sessions. Exercising 1-2x/week will not produce the benefits you seek, so increase your frequency! Depending on your schedule, see which day(s) you can add a workout. It is important to exercise daily if possible. Build it into your weekly routine so that you will not neglect it. Otherwise, it will easily fall off your to-do list. If you cannot exercise 5-6x/week, then do 4-5x/week. Every time you do, you are investing in your own body, which is the only one you have. So make it a priority because no one else can do it for you.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Exercising Safely For Your Fitness Level
Beginner Fitness Level: You do little to no exercise. Your strenuous exercise endurance is a few minutes. For your workout safety, you should begin with short bouts of light-moderate exercise (such as 10 minutes, 2x/day). Good options are water aerobics, walking, stationary bike, any light cardio, light strength training. Seek guidance from a personal trainer, exercise website, exercise video, group class, book, etc. Your goal should be to work up to 30 minutes per day, 3-4x/week.
Intermediate Fitness Level: You do occasional exercise at a moderate intensity. For your safety, be careful not to injure yourself with a new or overly strenuous workout. Try to exercise consistenly 3-5x/week in order to stay in shape. Try to challenge yourself progressively with higher intensity of exercise. 30 minutes should be your minimum workout time, and try to work up to 45 minutes. Appropriate workouts are light jogging, elliptical, swimming, Zumba, aerobics class, and strength training.
Advanced Fitness Level: You exercise vigorously at least 3-4x/week. You have good muscle strength and cardiopulmonary endurance. You usually work out for at least 1 hour at a time, and you could easily do more. For injury-free workouts, know your pain-tendency areas and be sure to strengthen and stretch them appropriately. Do not forget to take rest days. Be sure to vary your workouts with cross-training, intervals and plyometrics (pending sports activities). Drink sufficient water during your workouts. Do not push through an injury during training, sports or races. Train properly for all your athletics and races in order to avoid stress or overuse injuries. Otherwise, keep up the good work! If you are in this fitness group but need to lose more weight, you must increase exercise levels. This means increasing from 60 minutes/day to 90 minutes/day, modifying your workouts to boost your metabolism (such as weight training or intervals), or increasing your resistance levels.
Guru Fitness Level: You design your own workouts, and you are able to teach others. For your safety, remember that you are not exempt from workout injuries. Be sure to maintain balance between the muscle groups on the front and back of the body. Do not forget the importance of upper body, lower body and core strength. Use your knowledge to educate those around you with less exercise experience. Good goals for you are marathons, triathlons, fitness instructor certifications and/or exercise/sports competitions.
Intermediate Fitness Level: You do occasional exercise at a moderate intensity. For your safety, be careful not to injure yourself with a new or overly strenuous workout. Try to exercise consistenly 3-5x/week in order to stay in shape. Try to challenge yourself progressively with higher intensity of exercise. 30 minutes should be your minimum workout time, and try to work up to 45 minutes. Appropriate workouts are light jogging, elliptical, swimming, Zumba, aerobics class, and strength training.
Advanced Fitness Level: You exercise vigorously at least 3-4x/week. You have good muscle strength and cardiopulmonary endurance. You usually work out for at least 1 hour at a time, and you could easily do more. For injury-free workouts, know your pain-tendency areas and be sure to strengthen and stretch them appropriately. Do not forget to take rest days. Be sure to vary your workouts with cross-training, intervals and plyometrics (pending sports activities). Drink sufficient water during your workouts. Do not push through an injury during training, sports or races. Train properly for all your athletics and races in order to avoid stress or overuse injuries. Otherwise, keep up the good work! If you are in this fitness group but need to lose more weight, you must increase exercise levels. This means increasing from 60 minutes/day to 90 minutes/day, modifying your workouts to boost your metabolism (such as weight training or intervals), or increasing your resistance levels.
Guru Fitness Level: You design your own workouts, and you are able to teach others. For your safety, remember that you are not exempt from workout injuries. Be sure to maintain balance between the muscle groups on the front and back of the body. Do not forget the importance of upper body, lower body and core strength. Use your knowledge to educate those around you with less exercise experience. Good goals for you are marathons, triathlons, fitness instructor certifications and/or exercise/sports competitions.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Getting Out Of Your Workout Rut
Whenever you exercise, do you always do the same thing(s)? Treadmill, Zumba, Free weights? Whatever your typical workout routine, it is important to find ways to spice up your exercise so as to really challenge your body and get the most benefit. Here are some easy things you can add or modify.
1. INTERVALS. Instead of jogging on the treadmill at 6.5 miles per hour for 30 minutes, add short amounts of fast running and then resume your jogging pace. Or instead of walking at a moderate pace for 45 minutes, walk for 5 minutes, then jog for a few minutes, then walk again. Or instead of doing free weights for your entire workout, do 5 minutes of cardio, then 5-10 minutes of weights and continue alternating. Just be sure to warm up well before you do any fast/difficult intervals.
2. VARIETY. Do you always use the same machines at the gym? In the cardio part of your gym, there are 7 types of cardio equipment: treadmill, elliptical, stair climber, upright bike, recumbent bike, arm bike, and rowing machine. Of course, there are various cardio classes and sports activities as well. If you exercise from home, do you always walk the same route or do the same exercise DVD? Instead, do exercise that will strengthen ALL your muscle groups. Don't be afraid to try something new.
3. STRENGTH TRAINING. This can include free weights, machine weights, body weight, small dumbbells, exercise bands, kettle bells, medicine balls, etc. Strength training is just as important as cardio exercise if you are trying to lose weight. And these exercises can also get your heart pumping, which means you are still getting cardio! If you have never done this before, try a body bar/body pump class or a strength training DVD. Of course, from home you can always do things like push-ups, crunches, biceps curls, squats, etc.
4. INCREASING INTENSITY. Do not stay at the same pace for weeks-months at a time. If you presently walk at 3.0 miles per hour, you should soon be able to walk 3.5 mph. Guys who like free weights have this one down because they like to brag about how much they can bench press. If you have been in the same exercise class for the past year, you should be ready for something more challenging. Your body will plateau with the same workouts, so it needs to be challenged to further increase your strength, power, and endurance.
1. INTERVALS. Instead of jogging on the treadmill at 6.5 miles per hour for 30 minutes, add short amounts of fast running and then resume your jogging pace. Or instead of walking at a moderate pace for 45 minutes, walk for 5 minutes, then jog for a few minutes, then walk again. Or instead of doing free weights for your entire workout, do 5 minutes of cardio, then 5-10 minutes of weights and continue alternating. Just be sure to warm up well before you do any fast/difficult intervals.
2. VARIETY. Do you always use the same machines at the gym? In the cardio part of your gym, there are 7 types of cardio equipment: treadmill, elliptical, stair climber, upright bike, recumbent bike, arm bike, and rowing machine. Of course, there are various cardio classes and sports activities as well. If you exercise from home, do you always walk the same route or do the same exercise DVD? Instead, do exercise that will strengthen ALL your muscle groups. Don't be afraid to try something new.
3. STRENGTH TRAINING. This can include free weights, machine weights, body weight, small dumbbells, exercise bands, kettle bells, medicine balls, etc. Strength training is just as important as cardio exercise if you are trying to lose weight. And these exercises can also get your heart pumping, which means you are still getting cardio! If you have never done this before, try a body bar/body pump class or a strength training DVD. Of course, from home you can always do things like push-ups, crunches, biceps curls, squats, etc.
4. INCREASING INTENSITY. Do not stay at the same pace for weeks-months at a time. If you presently walk at 3.0 miles per hour, you should soon be able to walk 3.5 mph. Guys who like free weights have this one down because they like to brag about how much they can bench press. If you have been in the same exercise class for the past year, you should be ready for something more challenging. Your body will plateau with the same workouts, so it needs to be challenged to further increase your strength, power, and endurance.
Friday, March 2, 2012
The 4 Components Of Aerobic Exercise
There are 4 factors in aerobic training: Type of exercise, frequency (# of times weekly), duration (length of each workout), and intensity (how hard you work).
1. The type of exercise you select is important because it must be something you enjoy or at least tolerate regularly. The more you enjoy it, the more you will be motivated to do it! There are endless forms of aerobic exercise, including jogging, walking, cycling, aerobics, sports, cardio equipment, swimming, etc. If you are training for a sport or race, be sure to include sport-specific cardio workouts. It is good to include different types of exercise if possible (for example: walking and cycling).
2. The frequency of exercise depends on what you are training for. If you are starting an exercise program for the first time, you may not be training for any sport or race, but setting your frequency ahead will help you stick to your regimen. Perform your aerobic exercise at least 3-4x/week (or more). Take a rest day after a very difficult, long, or extra-challenging workout.
3. The duration of your aerobic exercise depends on the intensity (#4). If you exercise at a higher intensity, you can work out for less time per session (effective if you are super busy and have only 20-30 minutes/day to exercise). Likewise, a low-intensity workout means you need to exercise longer in each session.
4. The intensity of your exercise can be easily measured by checking your exercise heart rate (in beats per minute). Pending your doctor's recommendation, you should exercise at ~60-80% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age). If your intensity is too low, you will not get the most benefit from your aerobic workouts. Be sure to increase your intensity as your aerobic endurance increases (for example, increase average pace from 3.0 miles per hour during week 1 to 3.5 miles per hour during week 2).
Reference:
Baechle TR, Earle, RW (editors). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 2nd ed. 2000: Human Kinetics. Pages 498-501 (Chapter 21: Potteiger, Jeffrey A. Aerobic Endurance Exercise Training).
1. The type of exercise you select is important because it must be something you enjoy or at least tolerate regularly. The more you enjoy it, the more you will be motivated to do it! There are endless forms of aerobic exercise, including jogging, walking, cycling, aerobics, sports, cardio equipment, swimming, etc. If you are training for a sport or race, be sure to include sport-specific cardio workouts. It is good to include different types of exercise if possible (for example: walking and cycling).
2. The frequency of exercise depends on what you are training for. If you are starting an exercise program for the first time, you may not be training for any sport or race, but setting your frequency ahead will help you stick to your regimen. Perform your aerobic exercise at least 3-4x/week (or more). Take a rest day after a very difficult, long, or extra-challenging workout.
3. The duration of your aerobic exercise depends on the intensity (#4). If you exercise at a higher intensity, you can work out for less time per session (effective if you are super busy and have only 20-30 minutes/day to exercise). Likewise, a low-intensity workout means you need to exercise longer in each session.
4. The intensity of your exercise can be easily measured by checking your exercise heart rate (in beats per minute). Pending your doctor's recommendation, you should exercise at ~60-80% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age). If your intensity is too low, you will not get the most benefit from your aerobic workouts. Be sure to increase your intensity as your aerobic endurance increases (for example, increase average pace from 3.0 miles per hour during week 1 to 3.5 miles per hour during week 2).
Reference:
Baechle TR, Earle, RW (editors). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 2nd ed. 2000: Human Kinetics. Pages 498-501 (Chapter 21: Potteiger, Jeffrey A. Aerobic Endurance Exercise Training).
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Cardio EXERCISE and WEIGHT LOSS
I highly recommend cardio exercise as one piece of a weight management program. Here are some tips:
Be sure your cardio workouts are challenging! You should be sweating and breathing moderately hard throughout (unless you have medical conditions--please consult your physician). Your heart rate should be 50-70% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age).
Try alternating cardio with strengthening. Maybe do a total of 30 minutes of cardio and 15-20 minutes of weight training, which will boost your metabolism. You can even do cardio intervals of 5-10 minutes with weight intervals for 5-10 minutes. Good, challenging weight training will increase your muscle mass and therefore you will burn more calories throughout the day (not just when exercising).
If you really prefer cardio and not weights, then try changing around the type of cardio you do (spinning, walking, running, aerobics, swimming, hiking, sports, etc). And be sure to increase the intensity or resistance of the cardio as you progress. If it feels too hard, then bump it up and down to your tolerance.
Be sure your cardio workouts are challenging! You should be sweating and breathing moderately hard throughout (unless you have medical conditions--please consult your physician). Your heart rate should be 50-70% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age).
Try alternating cardio with strengthening. Maybe do a total of 30 minutes of cardio and 15-20 minutes of weight training, which will boost your metabolism. You can even do cardio intervals of 5-10 minutes with weight intervals for 5-10 minutes. Good, challenging weight training will increase your muscle mass and therefore you will burn more calories throughout the day (not just when exercising).
If you really prefer cardio and not weights, then try changing around the type of cardio you do (spinning, walking, running, aerobics, swimming, hiking, sports, etc). And be sure to increase the intensity or resistance of the cardio as you progress. If it feels too hard, then bump it up and down to your tolerance.
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