Fix Your Biggest Cardio Flubs

Healthy SELF, SELF Magazine

Dana Meltzer Zepeda,SELF magazine

Getting your heart racing isn't the only fundamental element of get a great cardio workout. Although working up a sweat may seem like a no-brainer, most of us make the same mistakes over and over again, putting ourselves at risk for unnecessary pain and injuries.

I recently caught up with Alice Burron, exercise physiologist and American Council on Exercise personal trainer and spokesperson, to help debunk the most common cardio flubs. Here's what you need to know:

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Mistake:
"My alarm didn't go off. I had an early meeting. I worked late last night!" You've used every excuse in the book but, unless working out truly becomes a habit, you'll never reach your fitness goals.

Fix:
"It is recommended that you do cardiovascular exercises every day for 30 minutes. At the minimum, set aside 30 minutes three times a week. Make this a priority appointment and don't bail out!"

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Mistake:
"Why fix it if it isn't broken?" is your fitness philosophy yet you struggle to overcome constant plateaus.

Fix:
"Doing the same workout every day can often lead to injuries, plateaus or general fatigue. If you feel like your workouts have stalled, this may be why. Combine harder workout days with easy days to recover and rebuild. Variety is key to injury prevention so perform a high-intensity day then follow it with a lower intensity day and vary your exercises."

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Mistake:
You focus entirely on the treadmill to burn fat and ignore the weights because you're afraid of bulking up.

Fix:
"Although cardio training is the most important exercise for the cardiovascular system, strength training can keep injury at bay and is beneficial for the bones. Strength training can be combined with your cardio workout if done in supersets (performing exercises with rest in between). Supersets are a time-efficient way to get strength training and cardio workouts done all at once."

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Mistake:
You talk on the cell phone and chat to friends during every workout.

Fix:
"If you're able to chat without small gasps, you're probably not working hard enough so make sure your intensity is moderate to hard. On a scale of one to ten, one being at rest and ten being the hardest you can exert yourself, aim for at least six."

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