There are times when you climb a flight of stairs and it feels like your lungs are on fire. For some, heart palpitations will be at their highest and seek rest. For others, their muscles hurt so much that they feel like they have a fire lit in their muscles. This can happen to anyone, regardless of size and age. However, these point to ailing fitness and the need to improve cardiovascular and respiratory health.
This is why cardiorespiratory endurance is important, as it’s the level at which your heart, lungs and muscles work together when you’re exercising for an extended period of time. When that happens, it shows that your cardiorespiratory organs are in prime condition.
With top-notch endurance, your lungs and heart are better able to utilize oxygen, allowing you to train for hours without fatigue. Therefore, knowing your stamina level is crucial in order to monitor your overall health, as good stamina indicates excellent overall health. A foolproof way to improve cardiorespiratory endurance is to exercise regularly.
Brisk walking and jogging
Any of these workouts will help you increase your cardiovascular and respiratory endurance as your lungs, heart and muscles are intensely exercised.
“The workout can be done in either low-intensity or high-intensity mode. For starters, you don’t need to worry because even doing it at low intensity, but done for a longer period of time, you can achieve the fitness level you want, as well as improved endurance,” says Lydia Kaitesi, Fitness Instructor.
Stationary running and jumping
The workout begins with a jog in one spot for 30 seconds or 20 reps. After that, start raising your knees as high as you can and lift your foot off the ground to touch the ground,” says Brian Kasasa, a sports scientist. Do both leg raise exercises for 30 seconds as well before returning to stationary jogging. In addition, leg and foot raises must be performed for both legs at the same time. For a beginner, the workout can be done at low intensity, but the pace needs to be increased as the fitness level increases.
Although highly aerobic, running is also a form of cardio-respiratory endurance exercise that makes the participant’s left ventricle thicker than one who leads an inactive life. “When you run, your heart and lungs work harder to ensure the body gets oxygen, which is later transported to the muscles to support your workout. In the further course of the cycle, cardiorespiratory endurance and fitness are built up. However, if you prefer to run in the morning, dress appropriately to avoid respiratory problems brought on by extreme cold. Also, wear the right footwear to ensure your feet are well protected,” says Kaitesi.
The thought of ascending in an instant is a little daunting for some people. However, with burpees, you have to do it at some point in the activity if you want to benefit from it. The benefits are increased overall body strength and obviously endurance. “The workout begins with a standing jump while raising your arms, and once you return to the starting position, your hands drop to the floor so you can assume a plank position. After that, jump back to the standing position and jump back up,” Kasasa shares. The cycle continues and with all the movements that come with it, you can’t help but train your lungs, heart and muscles. A plus to this is that weight loss is addressed while strength is also improved.
In these exercises it is important not to hold your breath, but to take a deep breath. Otherwise, the lungs will be denied the ability to inhale and exhale, giving them a better workout.
“It then affects the blood because it doesn’t have as much oxygen as the muscles that are working hard need. That makes you tired quickly because the muscles are starved,” says Kaitesi.
Also, try to complete each of these workouts for at least a minute. “It might not be possible for a beginner, but that should be a walk in the park as fitness improves. It is also possible to break the 1 minute mark over time. During your workout, take a 30-second break between each workout,” says Kasasa. Over time, not only does weight loss and fitness become possible, but cardiorespiratory endurance builds as well.
An added benefit of these exercises is that you don’t need a lot of exercise equipment. That means you can run them from anywhere, anytime. They are also great for people who don’t have much time to exercise.
