How Much Cardio Should I Actually Be Doing?

Cardio gets your heart rate up. That strengthens your cardiac muscle, making it easier for your heart to do the critical work of pumping blood throughout your body.

In short, we all need our hearts to work, and cardio gives you an excellent tool to help make that happen.

You probably already know that. However, you may not know the right amount of aerobic exercise for your body. David Bolon, MD, and our team can help you find out. 

Visit Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular in Midtown East Manhattan, New York City, and we can help you develop a personalized cardio plan. Using tools like cardiac screening, we evaluate your heart and determine the right types of exercise and intensity levels for you.

The blanket recommendation for cardio

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health experts nationwide recommend 150 minutes of cardio per week. 

You can break that up however you want. Maybe you swim laps in your pool twice a week for 75 minutes each time, or you ride a 30-minute bike on your lunch break every workday. You could also take a brisk 15-minute walk daily and do 45 minutes of your favorite cardio over the weekend. 

It doesn’t matter how you break it up or what you do. As long as it gets your heart pumping, it’s effective. 

Planning to protect your heart during aerobic exercise

If you currently have or you’ve had heart problems in the past, you might wonder how that changes things for you. At its core, it doesn’t. Regular exercise is still important when you have a heart issue. 

The key is exercising without straining your heart. Dr. Bolon can help you identify types of exercise and intensity levels appropriate for your cardiovascular health. For example, he might recommend a brisk walk instead of running or breaking up your exercise into shorter sessions throughout the day. 

When doing cardio, it’s important to listen to your body. Aim for a moderate intensity, not overtaxing yourself. That means you should be able to talk but not sing. If you find yourself unable to catch your breath, slow down. 

To protect your heart, you should also warm up before exercising. That means doing your planned exercise at a slower pace for about five minutes. This will allow your heart rate to increase gradually, lessening the strain on your cardiac muscle. 

Dr. Bolon can help you create a plan for safely getting the cardio your heart needs to stay healthy. To get started, call our office at (716) 303-4738 or book your appointment online today.