Cardiovascular training amounts to the same thing as aerobic training. The difference in the terms is that cardiovascular refers to improving heart health, while aerobic means oxygen-burning. Two semantic ways of approaching it, but the same result and activities. The idea is to get your heart rate up to 70% for proper results. Activities include cycling, running (distance, not speed work), cross-country skiing, power-walking, aerobic dancing, inline skating, and swimming, to mention a few.

All the activities listed above may seem intimidating at first. After all, a body at rest tend to stay at rest, as Newtonian physics reminds us on a daily basis. But when you consider all the advantages cardio offers, it's well worth the effort.

Now let's turn our attention to another component of a well-rounded fitness routine: resistance training. What exactly does that mean? In a nutshell, it's an activity that provides resistance to your muscles. Traditional methods are hefting dumbbells and barbells, but walk into your nearest well-equipped sports club and you'll see there's much more to it. There's a vast array of machines using cables and pulleys with weights or elastic straps to stress your muscle groups. And they're dedicated to individual muscle groups.

Why Add Weight Lifting to the Mix? I Already do Cardio! Because cardio will knock off the pounds, but it won't build muscle mass. Resistance training will. This is true for both men and women, although women won't put on as much mass as men due to the testosterone difference. (Viva la difference, as they say!) So don't worry ladies, there is a difference between toned and bulked-up. Not only will this keep you looking buff and younger than your actual years, but strong muscles, as long as you maintain balance between the various muscle groups, will also protect you.

Metabolism – A Different Kind of Booster. You already know that cardio raises your metabolism to burn more calories, resulting in weight loss and maintenance. Check your heart rate a couple of hours after a strenuous cardio session and you will find that it has returned to your resting heart rate. Not so with resistance training. Weights have a permanent effect on your metabolism, as long as you continue your program, that is, and don't revert to a couch potato. Weight training breaks down muscle fibers and builds new ones to deal with the added workload.

How Muscle Mass Affects Metabolism. As mentioned above, weight lifting promotes more muscle fiber growth, thereby "bulking up" for heavier weights with fewer reps per set. But it builds endurance and toned, compressed muscle mass when lighter weights with more reps per set. In either case, it takes more energy (calories) to move and even maintain the added muscle mass. This is happening 24/7, even while you're sleeping. So will you benefit from resistance training? You bet! Consider: on average, one pound of muscle consumes fifty calories per day. And the same amount of fat on your sedentary neighbor? A measly four calories. Would you rather have fat or muscle?

Carbohydrates may be the enemy of sedentary individuals striving to lose weight, but they are the life blood of high performance athletes, such as those who compete in ice hockey, long distance running, or cross country skiing. Why? Carbs stored in the liver and as muscle glycogen are where endurance energy must come from before fat burning kicks in.

The key in sustaining energy and stamina is to take in the proper nutrition at the proper times that will optimize highly competitive athletic performance. The baseline is nutritional intake that can maintain high intensity performance, which is usually defined as seventy percent of max VO2. Key to replacing spent glycogen is consuming carbs immediately following an intense workout. This carbohydrate intake (measured in (g/kg BW) will be attracted like a magnet to the liver and muscle rather than being deposited as fat.

How much is enough? It depends on the individual's level of fitness and the intensity of the workout.

In a word, yes. Over the years, most in-depth research has been conducted on males, but with more females engaging in competitive sports over the past decade, researchers have started to focus on them as well. In general, findings show that women need lower levels of carbohydrates because compared to males, females (studies on endurance runners) burn a higher fat to carb ratio than their male counterparts.

Females following results done on male studies run the risk of trying to meet their other nutritional and protein requirements rather than focus on a regimen tailored to them. At this time, there is a need for more research to be done on females in sports such as long distance running, hockey, and cross country skiing.

The human body is made up of many different components and protein has its fair share. In fact, it clocks in at 15 % of your body weight. Only water ranks higher; according to mayoclinic.com, water comprises 60%.

It doesn't matter whether you're a couch potato or an elite athlete, protein serves the same function. You may have heard proteins called amino acids and "building blocks". That's why athletes need to intake more quality protein in their diets. For example, weight training breaks down muscle fibers in micro-tears, and it's protein that's responsible to repairing and preparing the muscle for even greater stress. This accounts for bulking up with high weight/few reps or enhanced endurance with low weight/many reps. Some protein may be used as fuel in endurance exercise, but generally, your body will use carbs and fats first.

This is why it's so important to supply your body with an increasing amount of calories in carbs as work load increases. Your body's nitrogen balance will improve and the available protein will be used as it should be.

There are other situations where increased protein intake is warranted. These include vegetarian diets, as it's hard to find all the amino acids in the plants found in your average grocery store. Of those proteins that are found in these foods, they are generally more resistant to digestion. Because of this, vegetarians trying to get a range of amino acids from vegetables should increase their intake by a third.

Persons on low-calorie diets also benefit as do individuals in the growth stage between infant and adult.

Again, males have been favored in clinical studies. But despite this, it is generally acknowledged that the function and purpose of protein is the same in both males and females; the only difference is the amount that is actually used for fuel in exercise. The data shows that males need more than female. This is just what is to be expected since men have a higher percentage of muscle mass than women due to the different testosterone/estrogen ratio.

The percentage of protein in diet is a moving target, it would seem. But this is due to the fact that so many fad diets for athletes come and go. But aside from that, it's generally accepted that proteins should comprise 10% to 20% of the total caloric intake. This amount should be tweaked depending on the primary sport you engage in. For example, hockey and cross country skiing require a higher amount of energy than walking. In most cases, selecting food from the five major food groups will cover your bases.

Fats and carbs are stored in the body for future use, but amino acids are not. They are converted for use as they are metabolized. These uses include enzyme production, protein structures, and as building blocks for things like neurotransmitters, hormones, and a variety of nucleic acids. A maximum of 1% of amino acids consumed are retained as a free pool and used in the production of glucose, which is either stored as fat cells or metabolized for energy. The carbon skeleton portion is used for these purposes.

The actual amino portion is used to produce urea, a component of both sweat and urine. Too much protein can be a problem. Weight lifters sometimes subscribe to the theory that "more is better" but there is a limit. It's thought that at a consumption of 2.4 g/kg BW, that limit is met. More than that can result in dehydration, diuresis, protein oxidation, and urea production.

Many athletes, especially in sports like long distance running, overemphasize carb-loading and under-emphasize protein consumption. While the carbs, especially long-chain carbs, are great for endurance, they won't do the trick of repairing micro-tears in muscles. In other cases, athletes believe that their energy requirements are not high enough to require the amount of protein that they actually do need.