Cardio Workout

Cardio Exercise Machines – Common Cardio Workout Mistakes

Cardio exercise machine workouts are great and fun for burning excess body fat and building good cardiovascular health. These exercises not only help to burn body fat fast it will also strengthen your heart and lungs and thus reducing your chances of getting high blood pressure, stroke and heart diseases. Regular cardio exercises can also reduce bad cholesterol and raise the level of good cholesterol.

However, are you getting the most out of your cardio machine workouts? Are you using the cardio workout machines efficiently to gain maximum benefits of the exercises?

Well, you probably are not if you are an average gym user without any personal trainers to guide you because you will probably commit common cardio machine mistakes when exercising.

We shall now examine the more popular cardio workout machines and the common mistakes people commit when using these machines for their workouts.

Common mistakes when using cardio workout machines are :-

• Step up stair climber – This is perhaps the most common mistake for not getting the most out of the step up stair climber machine. Almost invariably, everyone when exercising with this machine will rest their arms on the railing. By doing so, the railing now becomes sort of like a crutch as it will now support some of your body weight making the exercise less intensive.

• Treadmill – The treadmill is perhaps the most popular cardio workout machine in the gym. A careful observation will show that many treadmill users run with too much up and downs. This mistake will wear out the person’s ankle and knee joints over time. The correct method is to take long, smooth and purposeful strides during the exercise.

• Stationery Bike – When exercising on the stationery bike, do adjust the height of the seat to a comfortable level. I really don’t understand why many stationery bike users adjust their seats to be either too high or too low. I mean, why be uncomfortable when exercising when you can be comfortable.

When the seat is too low, it adds strain to your knees and spine. When too high, your will butt will rock from side to side. So besides not getting the best from your cardio workout on the stationery bike because your body weight will be involved when you peddle, you will also look weird. It is such a silly workout mistake right?

Another common mistake is that I often see stationery bikers reading a book when exercising. That means that they exercise at a very low intensity level. Hey, how can low intensity cardio exercises work your heart and lung effectively?

• Elliptical Trainer – This is also another bewildering common cardio workout mistake. You use the elliptical trainer to tone your body and to exercise for your cardiovascular fitness right? Then why is it I often see people who use the elliptical trainer exercising at a high speed? So what is the mistake? The mistake is that they have set the resistant level too low.

You see, if you do not puff, pant and breakout in sweat, you are not getting the best out of your cardio exercises. Is it any wonder then that people are not losing weight and not improving on their cardiovascular health even when they are doing their cardio exercises regularly?

Now that you know how to avoid these common cardio machine exercise workout mistakes, you can now head for the gym and get the best out of these exercises. In a very short time, you will see your body toning up nicely, improvement on your cardio health being felt and visibly losing excess body fat.

There are different ways of measuring your blood pressure, which lets you measure your true blood pressure and get a list of blood pressure measurements. Electronic or digital devices are the easiest ones to use. Digital blood pressure monitors can also be considered the same way. They are especially convenient for anyone who is not used to testing his or her own blood pressure. Testing your own pressure is more convenient than visiting the doctor, as was once required. It allows you to test your blood pressure regularly, keep an accurate record of the readings and have the information ready for your doctor at each visit.

Digital monitors have either manual or automatic cuffs, and come with a built-in LCD screen that shows the reading. Some models allow for wrist or finger readings. Most of these digital blood pressure monitors come with self-inflating cuffs that inflate once the cuff has been secured and the device has been turned on. These monitors also have the feature of digital readouts that help the patient get a more accurate pressure reading. And is a good option for people who are hard of hearing or have poor eyesight. They also detect blood surges underneath the blood pressure cuff.  Many digital blood pressure monitors also include a paper printout to provide a handy hard-copy record for your doctor.

In addition to all these, it is also important to consider the location and size of the cuff to check the accuracy of the monitor. The accuracy of the monitor or the reading can be checked if the reading is compared to the reading of a professional measuring device. Also, the monitors have to be tested for accuracy before use at least once a year.

When someone talks of blood pressure problems, in most cases they refer to issues of high blood pressure. But low blood pressure is also a fairly common condition and it needs attention.

What are the causes of low blood pressure? It turns out there are quite a few of them.

Unearthing the causes of hypotension is important because they have to be dealt with before treating the clinical conditions of low blood pressure.

Anti-hypertensive drugs are one possible cause. If someone with high blood pressure continues to take such drugs without adequate supervision, it can result in a buildup of the drug in the body which can cause blood pressure to drop below acceptable levels.

That is why patients on beta-blockers must be monitored closely to ensure that they do not end up with adverse effects like hypotension.

Diuretic medications can cause this problem if the drugs are overused. In fact, they can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels if not taken correctly.

Cardiac problems can, of course, cause low blood pressure. Problems like tricuspid regurgitation, which is a valve-related issue, can result in the condition.

Traumas such as severe burns can lower blood pressure drastically. Burns affect the permeability of blood vessels which triggers the problem. Heat stroke is another possible cause of lowered pressure because it disrupts the fluid mechanism in the body.

Inflammation to organs like the pancreas may result in hypotension. So can respiratory problems like pneumothorax, as well as dysentery and other severe gastro intestinal problems.

Patients on nitrate medication may have a tendency to suffer from this condition. This is particularly true if they consume alcohol. For this reason, doctors usually advice against alcohol consumption when the patient takes nitrate drugs.

In reality, what constitutes low blood pressure often depends on the patient. There is a fine line between healthy low pressure and clinical hypotension.

As you can see, there are many possible causes of low blood pressure. Your health care giver’s judgment is crucial in deciding if you have hypotension and what treatment it requires.

Malignant Hypertension and accelerated high blood pressure are two emergency conditions which should be treated promptly. Both conditions have same outcome and therapy. However Malignant hypertension is a complication of high blood pressure characterized by very elevated high blood pressure, and organ damage in the eyes, brain, lung and/or kidneys. It differs from other complications of hypertension in that it is accompanied by papilledema. (Edema of optic disc of eye) Systolic and diastolic blood pressures are usually greater than 240 and 120, respectively.  While Accelerated high blood pressure is condition with high blood pressure, target organ damage, on fundoscopy we have flame shaped hemorrhages, or soft exudates, but without papilledema.

There are two things. Hypertensive Urgency and Hypertensive emergency. In hypertensive urgency we don’t see any target organ damage while in emergency we see target organ damage along with high blood pressure greater than systolic >220. Now depending upon target organ damage you will decide whether you have hypertensive emergency or urgency. It is essential to bring down high blood pressure in hypertensive emergency immediately, while in urgency, bring down blood pressure very rapidly is not required.

Pathogenesis of malignant hypertension is fibrinoid necrosis of arterioles and small arteries. Red blood cells are damaged as they flow through vessels obstructed by fibrin deposition, resulting in microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. Another pathologic process is the dilatation of cerebral arteries resulting in increased blood flow to brain which leads to clinical manifestations of hypertensive encephalopathy. Common age is above 40 years and it is more frequent in man rather than women. Black people are at higher risk of developing hypertensive emergencies than the general population.

Target organs are mainly Kidney, CNS and Heart. So symptoms of Malignant hypertension are oligurea, Headache, vomiting, nausea, chest pain, breathlessness, paralysis, blurred vision. Most commonly heart and CNS are involved in malignant hypertension. The pathogenesis is not fully understood. Up to 1% of patients with essential hypertension develop malignant hypertension, and the reason some patients develop malignant hypertension while others do not is unknown. Other causes include any form of secondary hypertension; use of cocaine, MAOIs, or oral contraceptives; , beta-blockers, or alpha-stimulants. Renal artery stenosis, withdrawal of alcohol, pheochromocytoma {most pheochromocytomas can be localized using CT scan of the adrenals}, aortic coarctation, complications of pregnancy  and hyperaldosteronism are secondary causes of hypertension. Main Investigations to access target organ damage are complete renal profile, BSR, Chest Xray, ECG, Echocardiography, CBC, Thyroid function tests.

Management:
Patient is admitted in Intensive Care Unit. An intravenous line is taken for fluids and medications. The initial goal of therapy is to reduce the mean arterial pressure by approximately 25% over the first 24-48 hours. However Hypertensive urgencies do not mandate admission to a hospital. The goal of therapy is to reduce blood pressure within 24 hours, which can be achieved as an outpatient department. Initially, patients treated for malignant hypertension are instructed to fast untill stable. Once stable, all patients with malignant hypertension should take low salt diet, and should focus on weight lowering diet. Activity is limited to bed rest until the patient is stable. Patients should be able to resume normal activity as outpatients once their blood pressure has been controlled.

Hospitalization is essential until the severe high blood pressure is under control. Medications delivered through an IV line, such as nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, or others, may reduce your blood pressure. An alternative for patients with renal insufficiency is IV fenoldopam. Beta-blockade can be accomplished intravenously with esmolol or metoprolol.  Labetalol is another common alternative, providing easy transition from IV to oral (PO) dosing. Also available parenterally are enalapril, diltiazem, verapamil, Hydralazine is reserved for use in pregnant patients as it also increases uterine profusion, while phentolamine is the drug of choice for a pheochromocytoma crisis. After the severe high blood pressure is brought under control, regular anti-hypertensive medications taken by mouth can control your blood pressure. The medication may need to be adjusted occasionally.

Healthy heart awareness is coming up in February.  Do you really know if you have a healthy heart?  How do we know?  We only know after something happens.  We always think it can’t happen to us.

Having a healthy body gives you a healthy heart.  So here are some tips to keep your body healthy.

1.    You need to take a really good vitamin.  What does that mean?  Expensive?  No.  I mean a vitamin that does dissolve in your body so your body benefits the vitamins in it.  I only know of one vitamin that is fructose compounded that benefits our bodies by absorbing 95% of the vitamins, instead of just passing through our bodies.

What is fructose compounding?  Fructose is a natural fruit sugar your cells crave and it is easily absorbed in the bloodstream.  This process is designed to pre-bind a fructose molecule to a mineral so the mineral won’t bind with nutrients in the digestive system. The fructose compounded mineral are designed to be absorbed more easily into the bloodstream and delivered to your cells and thus to your tissues, organs and the rest of your body.  Thus making you body healthy.

2.    Exercise – You need to keep your body moving.  We are suppose to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.  The best way to monitor that is to have a walking monitor that can be clipped to your belt or pants.  Then keep track of how many steps you take and then if they are aerobic.  Which will get you heart pumping.  When you get your heart pumping you are getting your body moving and getting your body in better shape all around.

3.    Food – We need to eat more vegetables and less processed foods.  We need to get back to making dinners instead of using processed foods that are easy and quick.  I fall into that category.  I’m in the process of retraining myself in making better choices for my family.  Life is busy and it’s just easier to use pre-made meals.  Tip: On Sunday make it family cooking day.  Get everyone in the kitchen and make 5 dinners for the week.  Put in the freeze when cooled.  Then during the week pull out dinner from the freezer and leave in fridge to thaw while at work.  It is something to get used to but it makes Sundays very memorable.

These are simple changes but they could save you or someone you love from something very serious.  It only takes a few good changes and you can have a better healthier life.

Low blood pressure happens when the blood flow to the brain and other vital organs falls short, due to low pressure in the blood. Some common causes of low blood pressure are dehydration, heavy meal, severe infection, heart attack, heart failure or pregnancy. You will notice some common sign and symptoms like dizziness, lack of concentration, nausea, blurred vision and many more.

- Home Remedies for Low Blood Pressure

• Drink as much water as you can. Dehydration minimizes the blood volume which causes the drop in pressure. Drink one glass of water per hour; this would help to keep your body hydrated.

• Keep your knees flexed as this helps in bringing the pressure back to normal.

• As you warm-up before exercising it is very important to cool down after exercising. Stopping in the middle of an exercise routine can drop your pressure, so avoid it.

• Drinking alcoholic beverages does not help the low blood pressure condition. Drink healthy juices or any non-alcoholic drinks which can make your life healthy and lot less complicated.

• Salt is good for low blood pressure. You can increase your salt intake, but this increase in salt may vary from person to person.

• While sleeping keep your head elevated as this may help to adapt to an upright position.

• Be health conscious and do stretching exercises which helps to keep a tab on the pressure level. You can squeeze your fists and pump your stomach a few times to help this problem.

• A larger meal causes the blood to rush towards the digestive area leading to insufficient supply of blood to other organs. Emphasis on smaller meals, as this would help to provide proper flow of blood in the entire body.

• Take a walk after your meals. This helps in bringing the blood pressure level to normal.

• Ginseng is a Chinese root, even though its benefits are still unclear, it has been said that it helps in improving low blood pressure.

• Soak 10 small raisins in bowl of water overnight. Chew each raisin at least 30 times before swallowing it. Continue doing this for a month.

• Soak 5 pieces of almond in water and keep it overnight. Grind them to make a smooth paste and mix it in glass of milk. Boil the almond and milk paste. Drink it warm.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Although 73 percent of women know how to prevent heart disease, many are unaware of how to treat it once a diagnosis has been made.

In a survey of 1,979 women over age 35, only 55 percent said they understand how to treat heart disease. Respondents often incorrectly named prevention techniques such as exercise and healthy eating as treatment options, and less than 10 percent named actual treatments such as angioplasty and stent placement.

Hispanics and African-Americans, both considered high-risk groups for heart disease, were twice as likely as Caucasian women to say they did not know any treatments at all.

The survey was conducted by the “Healthy From the Heart” campaign sponsored by the National Women’s Health Resource Center and Cordis Corp. The campaign encourages women to learn about treatment options for coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease, so they can make better decisions if diagnosed.

“The good news is that women are aware that they are at risk for heart disease. The bad news is that they are overly confident in their ability to prevent it and treat it,” said Dr. Cindy Grines, an interventional cardiologist with William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks, Mich. “Women must realize that education is the key to conquering the threat of coronary artery disease. There are a variety of treatment options now available.”

The most common procedure for treating coronary artery disease is balloon angioplasty with a coronary stent. Angioplasty widens narrowed arteries by threading a balloon-tipped catheter through the arm or groin artery to the blocked artery in the heart. The balloon is inflated to compress the plaque against the artery walls, which in turn expands the blood vessel so blood can flow more easily.

Scientific advances have led to the development of the drug-eluting stent, a tiny mesh scaffold that props the artery open while releasing small amounts of a particular drug, such as sirolimus, inside the artery over a period of time. This helps keep plaque from reforming and helps prevent repeat blockage from occurring inside the blood vessel.

Coronary bypass surgery is another treatment option. While more invasive, it is a safe and effective treatment for patients who may not qualify for angioplasty and stent insertion.

Hypertension can sometimes confuse both the patient and the doctor for a couple of reasons. One, the physical symptoms of high blood pressure can vary quite widely. And secondly, it shares many symptoms with other diseases or conditions.

That’s why, in dealing with any illness, a thorough examination of the patient, including checking blood pressure, is essential.

It is quite common for patients to visit the doctor for one illness only to be told that their real problem is high blood pressure.

Undiagnosed hypertension can affect all the major organs of the body, including the heart, kidneys and liver. It is also capable of affecting vision and causing strokes.

The physical symptoms of high blood pressure can include giddiness, headaches, blurry vision, tremors, convulsions and difficulty in walking or exerting oneself and clinical depression, among other things.

Difficulty in even minor physical exertion and unusual tiredness may be signs of cardiac damage from high blood pressure. Excessive perspiration and breathlessness can also signal this condition. This is a serious situation and calls for immediate medical attention.

Damage to kidneys can cause symptoms like increase in frequency of urination or pain while passing urine. The skin may appear to be dull due to dehydration and electrolyte loss.

High blood pressure can affect vision causing lesions in the ocular region. If left untreated, it can cause loss of vision.

The problem is that many of these symptoms can cause the physician to suspect other diseases. Sometimes, the high blood pressure can also be a symptom of another underlying problem. Comprehensive testing may be necessary to zero in on the real problem.

In cases where hypertension caused damage to major organs, the real underlying problem (high blood pressure) may be missed. To avoid misdiagnosis, a blood pressure check is routinely done for a wide variety of complaints.

Some of the symptoms of hypertension are similar to those of diabetes. Some are even similar to that of a person who is heavily drunk!

In fact, there have been cases where hypertension was not detected or treated because it was assumed that the symptoms were induced by alcohol.

The range of physical symptoms of high blood pressure is wide enough to present real problems. Having any of the above symptoms is reason enough to consult a health care professional at the earliest.

The only way of constantly keeping track of your blood pressure is with the help of a blood pressure monitor. But be careful if you are going to acquire one because there are many types and models of blood pressure monitors available so you have to find the ones that suit you best.

When suffering from high blood pressure it is very important to monitor how the values of your blood pressure change during the day. This way you will have an active role in taking care of your own health and it will be very easy to determine what kind of treatment you need.

The price of a digital blood pressure monitor is not too elevated and they are quite easy to use too. When you’ve just bought one the best thing to do is to pay a visit to your doctor and he should be able to instruct you on how to use the blood pressure monitor. It is important to do this because otherwise you may perform innaccurate measurements and this should be avoided.

You must also take into account the fact the values of the blood pressure vary at everyone, so do not be frightened if a few of your readings are a bit over the line, this is normal for everybody. You should only worry if these high values keep repeating, and in this case you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Also, the values of the readings that you make with the blood pressure monitors may be lower than usual a few times, which is also normal.
If you want the readings to be as accurate as possible try to sit down, rested, on a hard surface when performing the measurements.

Finally do not forget that the purpose of measuring your blood pressure at home is is to reduce it!

The most important factor for improving cardiorespiratory fitness (cardio or CR) is the intensity of the workout.  Changes in CR fitness are directly related to how “hard” an aerobic exercise is performed. The more energy expended per unit of time, the greater the intensity of the exercise, the greater the effect on cardiorespiratory fitness.

You have to know how hard is “hard” to determine if an aerobic exercise like running is producing a CR training effect or if it’s just burning a few calories. The heart rate during work or exercise is an excellent indicator of how much effort you are exerting. Only by keeping track of your heart rate during a workout can you be sure that the intensity is enough to improve your CR fitness level. In other words, your ability to monitor your heart rate is the single most important key to success in CR training.

Training Heart Rate (THR) = Desired Intensity of the Workout

THR is the heart rate at which you need to exercise to get a training effect. The U.S. Army fitness gurus have given us two methods to determine THR. The first method, percent maximum heart rate (%MHR) is simpler to use, while the second method, percent heart rate reserve (%HRR) is more accurate.

%MHR Method

With this method the THR is figured using the estimated maximal heart rate. You can estimate your maximum heart rate (MHR) by subtracting your age from 220. Thus, a 20 year old would have an estimated maximum heart rate (MHR) of 200 beats per minute (220 – 20 = 200).

A person who is in poor shape should exercise at 70 percent of his MHR; if he is in relatively good shape, at 80 percent MHR; and, if he is in excellent shape, at 90 percent MHR.

Examples:

A 20 year old in good physical condition would have a THR of 160 beats per minute (BPM). 220 – 20 = 200 * .80 = 160 BPM.

A 30 year old in good physical condition would have a THR of 152 beats per minute (BPM). 220 – 30 = 190 * .80 = 152 BPM.

A 40 year old in poor physical condition would have a THR of 126 beats per minute (BPM). 220 – 40 = 180 * .70 = 126 BPM.

%HRR Method

A more accurate way to calculate THR is the %HRR method. The range from 60 to 90 %HRR is the THR range in which people should exercise to improve their CR fitness levels. If you know your general level of CR fitness, you can determine which percentage of HRR is a good starting point

for you. For example, a person in excellent physical condition could start at 85 percent of his HRR; if he is in reasonably good shape, at 70 percent HRR; and, if he is in poor shape, at 60 percent HRR.

Most CR workouts should be conducted with the heart rate between 70 to 75 percent HRR to attain, or maintain, an adequate level of fitness. A person who has reached a high level of fitness may derive more benefit from working at a higher percentage of HRR, particularly if he cannot find more than 20 minutes for CR exercise.

Exercising at any lower percentage of HRR than 60 does not give the heart, muscles, and lungs an adequate training stimulus. Exercising at more than 90 percent can be dangerous. Before anyone begins aerobic training, he should know his THR (the heart rate at which he needs to exercise to get a training effect).

The example below shows how to figure the THR by using the resting heart rate (RHR) and age to estimate heart rate reserve (HRR). A 20 year old in reasonably good physical shape is the example.

STEP 1: Determine the MHR by subtracting your age from 220. i.e. MHR = 220 – 20 = 200.

STEP 2: Determine the resting heart rate (RHR) in beats per minute (BPM) by counting the resting pulse for 30 seconds, and multiply the count by two. A shorter period can be used, but a 30 second count is more accurate. This count should be taken while you are completely relaxed and rested. For this example we use a RHR of 69 BPM.

STEP 3: Determine the heart rate reserve (HRR) by subtracting the RHR from the estimate MHR. i.e. HRR = 200 – 69 = 131 BPM

STEP 4: Calculate THR by (1) multiplying HRR by the relative fitness level as a percentage and (2) adding the result to the HRR.  For example, our 20 year old in good physical condition will exercise at 70% HRR.

(1)  .70 * 131 = 91.7
(2)   91.7 + 69 = 160.7

In summary, a reasonably fit 20-year-old with a resting heart rate (RHR) of 69 BPM has a training heart rate (THR) goal of 161 BPM.

During aerobic exercise, the body will usually have reached a “Steady State” after five minutes of exercise, and the heart rate will have leveled off. At this time and, immediately after exercising, is when you should monitor your heart rate to see if you are within your desired THR range.

If your pulse rate is below the THR, you must exercise harder to increase your pulse to the THR. If your pulse is above the THR, you should reduce the intensity to reduce the pulse rate to the THR goal.