Watching an athlete at their peak is thrilling. Fulfilling one’s own athletic potential, not so much. Getting fit is hard and painful – or so we assume.
This article is part of a series on fitness that answers eight questions about exercise and its influence on our bodies and minds. Read more here.
But that isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, research shows that anyone just starting to exercise more than they are used to will see improvements surprisingly quickly, regardless of the workout they choose. Better yet is the discovery that there are ways to speed up the fitness journey.
The key to improving fitness is, in essence, simple. You need to exceed your “habitual load”, which is a fancy way of saying doing more activity than you are accustomed to. This will stress your body and force it to adapt.
When it comes to starting cardio exercise as a beginner, “one of the first things that happens is you get more blood volume”, says Abbi Lane at the University of Michigan. Within 24 hours of working out, this increases by up to 12 per cent due to water retention, which increases the amount of blood plasma, boosting the amount of oxygen that can be supplied to the muscles. After two weeks of training, peak blood volume is normally reached, which is about 15 to 20 per cent higher in athletes than in sedentary individuals.
