What’s going on? Hope you’re safe, well, and taking good care of that body of yours. That’s what I’m doing. It’s still early in the new year which means you can make a great impact if you’re mindful about it now…and you’ll be in a better place by the time summer rolls around. I’ve been on the warpath myself. In fact, I gotta tell ya I’ve been killin’ it on my Peloton bike! (WendyWarrior is my handle if you want to connect/follow me there.
When it comes to caring for our bodies, I believe in taking a holistic approach to our fitness. That means thinking about all the qualities like flexibility, strength, and endurance that create our healthiest bodies. Cultivating these qualities will help you feel fit and fabulous no matter what activity you are doing next.
Work Strength Into Your Cardio For Better Endurance And Stamina
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been having fun with your workouts already, building endurance should be part of the program.
When you think about endurance you probably think of cardio, cardio, cardio! Cardio for endurance and stamina is great…but do you know what makes it even better? Bringing a little strength training into the mix! You heard that right – during those cardio days, don’t drop the weights completely and let them sit collecting dust.
In order to feel fit and strong, we need to incorporate a variety of exercises that support our whole body health.
Why Is Physical Endurance So Important?
There’s science behind the idea of incorporating strength training into your cardio for better stamina and endurance.
Physical endurance is one of those things that builds exponentially over time. The more endurance you have, the longer you can work out (and perform everyday functional activities). The more you can work out, the more you can build your endurance.
There are two primary types of endurance to think about when planning your workout. The first is muscular endurance, which is really just your muscles’ ability to perform. The second type is cardiovascular endurance which is a measure of your overall ability to endure a sustained physical task. Thus adding strength training to your cardio can help you develop both types of endurance.
At the core of your strength training is building lean muscle mass throughout the body, and it’s this lean muscle mass that can give your endurance a real boost. With lean muscle, your body has places to send the blood as you get your heart pumping during a great cardio session. This results in lower pressure in the arteries, and lower pressure in the arteries helps you to keep from feeling exhausted while your heart does its work.
Working strength training into your cardio, however, doesn’t have to be some kind of all-or-nothing thing! Take it slow and be consistent so you’re more likely to build up lasting stamina over time.
Simple Strategies To Get You On Track
Think about your regular daily workout routine. Are there any opportunities to add some strength training? For example, wear wrist weights during a swim or if you take daily walks, bring some arm weights with you. That way while you are walking you can also do some simple upper body strength training. Another great example is if you do yoga you can hold your poses longer or try power yoga.
What you’ll find is that what was once a challenge feels easy and as you increase the level of your weights you’ll get stronger and have more endurance.
Now if your cardio of choice is dance, you know I approve!
My YouTube videos and Fountain of You videos have plenty of dance-based cardio exercises you can use to easily incorporate some lightweight training work as you build your endurance to dazzling new heights.
