Go Cardio...

I like these tips considering that I'm a cardio fitness lover. I do cardio work out almost eveyday using an eliptical trainer. I find these tips from fitsugar.com very useful.

• Elliptical trainers are a gym favorite. Not only is this cardio machine joint friendly, but it is also super versatile. You can go forward and backward, work your arms and legs, or focus on your core. Here a some tips to get the most out of this machine and your next elliptical workout.
• If your focus is cardio: Focus on your strides per minute. SPM is the number of times your legs go around, a stat the elliptical tracks for you. Try to keep your strides per minute between 140 and 160. If you're doing intervals on the elliptical, make sure your "sprints" are closer to 160.
• If your focus is toning your thighs: Pay attention to your feet. Pressing more with your heels will work your hamstrings and booty more, while pressing more with your toes will tone your quads on the front of your thighs.
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• If you're short on time: Use your arms and legs equally. To get more bang for your cardio buck, make sure to work your arms as well as your legs. This will help get your heart rate into an intense zone and tone your upper body too.
• To work your core: Go hands free. Letting go of the handles on the elliptical will challenge your sense of balance and work your core. Make sure to not sway from side to side once you let go of the handles. Place your hands on your hips to monitor your posture.
• To add strength training to your cardio: Try squats. When moving backward on the elliptical, you can hold a squat position. Don't go into a full squat, but only go about three quarters of the way down. Start by holding the position for 20 seconds and work your way up to holding the partial squat for a full minute.

• Long, slow cardio workouts are great for relieving stress or if you're training for a race, but adding fast-paced intervals will help alleviate boredom, diminish belly fat, and make you stronger. Whether you get your heart rate up by running, using an elliptical, swimming, jumping rope, or biking, include short sprinting bursts throughout your workout. Add 10- to 60-second sprints every few minutes, slowing down to a moderate pace just long enough to catch your breath between them. These sprints will build and tone muscles and increase your endurance.


• You should vary your workouts to reap even more benefits from your cardio time. You need to play with speed, distance, and rate and mix it all up. This variety confuses your body and helps you burn more calories as well as increase your fitness level. So mix up short and intense runs, less distance at a faster pace, with longer and slower runs to work on endurance – this variation works for cardio machines, too. If you run outside vary your terrain, doing some hill runs mixed with runs with less inclines. This also applies to the treadmill; you need to play around with the incline. And don't forget about intervals. Mix up short and long intervals of pushing your pace and then slowing down to recover. With this much variety in your workout plan, you will never get bored and neither will your body!