Many of our clients want to know how they can improve their cardiovascular health without running or practicing other similar high-impact sports. Take John, S. for example, who can’t run anymore as his knees get too sore.
Well, don’t worry John, this is fairly common. Even if you’re not an avid runner or athlete, your knees tend to take a battering as you go through life.
But there are many ways you can build up your cardiovascular fitness without running.
The thing is, we’ve always associated running as one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise, but all you’re really doing when you go out running is putting your heart under (necessary) strain.
But you can recreate that same stress on your heart and get the blood pumping around your body to burn calories and boost fitness without having to place the same level of strain on your knees. Here’s how:
There are loads of machines in a regular gym, or that you can have at home, that can replicate cardiovascular activity, including cross trainers and rowing machines. You get all the benefits of going for a run without placing wear and tear on your knees. But…
Machines can be a bit boring. What we do a lot with our Fit and Active clients is cardiovascular work while under resistance.
Swiss balls, or gym balls, are an excellent piece of equipment that we use a lot for all types of exercises at the DVCC. Because they provide an unstable surface, Swiss balls are particularly helpful in building up core strength and adding an extra layer of difficulty (and fun!) to many exercises.
You'd probably be quite surprised at the intense level of workout and results you can get just by using dumbbells. They’re a core part of our strength training program and help our clients to build muscle tone and increase the amount of calories they burn.
So you see, there are lots of different and varied activities that can actually recreate the cardiovascular effect of running. You don’t have to go out for a run, or even leave your living room; we’ve got plenty of videos and sample exercises on our YouTube channel and blog. Check them out now.