Understanding and Improving Your Cardiovascular Fitness-

It is important to measure and track your cardio fitness.  Cardio fitness refers to how well your heart, lungs and organs consume, transport and use oxygen when you are doing strenuous activity.

Your overall fitness depends on how well your cardiovascular system, respiratory system and skeleton system work together.  To improve fitness, you need to measure and track your progress.

By determining your initial cardio fitness level, you will then, be able to set goals and then track your progress.

Test Your Current Level of Cardio Fitness-

For our purposes, we will be determining your resting heart rate and then using the The 3-minute Step Test to measure your current level of aerobic conditioning by averaging your exercise and recovery heart rates.

Firstly, determine your resting heart rate. Click here to find out how to determine your resting heart rate.

Secondly, take the 3-minute step to measure your current level of aerobic conditioning by averaging your exercise and recovery heart rates.

The 3-minute Step Test-

Goal: See how quickly the heart rate recovers after exercise.

Setup: Step on and off the CardioGolf Slope for 3 minutes keeping a consistent pace.

This 3-minute Step Test is designed to measure a person’s aerobic fitness. Participants step up and down, on and off a step designed for aerobic activity for three minutes to increase heart rate and to evaluate the heart’s recovery rate during the minute immediately following the step test exercise.

After exercise, your heart rate will begin to return to normal.

When you are more fit, the faster your heart rate will recover from the stress of exercise.

How to take the 3-minute Step Test-

1. Pre-test-take and remember your resting heart rate.
2. Perform 96 steps per minute (use rhythm and step up, up, with both feet, then down, down with both feet) for 3 continuous minutes
3. Stop after 3 minutes and retake your pulse for one full minute and record that number.
4. Begin a cardio/endurance regime and the re-test your cardio fitness level every 10 to 12 weeks.

STOP THE TEST IMMEDIATELY FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

• High blood pressure: systolic pressure > 160 mm Hg OR diastolic pressure > 100 mm Hg

• Onset of angina or angina-like symptoms

• Signs of poor perfusion: lightheadedness, confusion, ataxia, pallor, cyanosis, nausea, cold clammy skin

• Participant requests to stop

• Physical or verbal manifestations of severe fatigue

Interpreting Your Results of the 3-minute Step Test-

What is Aerobic Exercise and Why Golfers Should Do It

Aerobic Activity:

For an activity to qualify as aerobic, two factors must be present. First, the activity must last at least 20 minutes. Second, you have to increase your heart rate to at least 70% of your maximum rate during the 20 minutes.

Cardiovascular Benefits:

Aerobic exercise conditions the heart and lungs by increasing the oxygen available to the body and by enabling the heart to use oxygen more efficiently.

Additional Benefits of Aerobic Exercise: In addition to cardiovascular benefits, other benefits of aerobic exercise include:

• Physiological Benefits:
  • Control of body fat: Aerobic exercise in conjunction with strength training and a proper diet will reduce body fat.
  • Increased resistance to fatigue and extra energy.
  • Toned muscles and increased lean body mass.
  • Decreased tension and aid in sleeping.
  • Increased general stamina. Aerobic exercise may make you tired in the short term. But over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.
• Psychological benefits: Exercise improves mood, reduces depression and anxiety.Aerobic exercise can ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety and promote relaxation
• Ward off viral illnesses: Aerobic exercise activates your immune system. This leaves you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.
• Reduce health risks: Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. Weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as walking, reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
• Manage chronic conditions: Aerobic exercise helps lower high blood pressure and control blood sugar. If you’ve had a heart attack, aerobic exercise helps prevent subsequent attacks.
• Strengthen your heart: A stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast. A stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow to all parts of your body.
• Keep your arteries clear: Aerobic exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol. The potential result? Less buildup of plaques in your arteries.
• Stay active and independent as you get older: Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. At least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week seems to reduce cognitive decline in older adults.
• Live longer: People who participate in regular aerobic exercise appear to live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly.