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Cardio Vascular training improves the functioning of your heart and lungs or the engine room of your body. It also improves the way that your oxygenated blood from the engine room gets round the body to the various muscles. Your heart is a muscle and can be developed like all other muscles by pushing it out of its "comfort zone", which we talk about in depth on another day.

If you get out of breath, you are pushing yourself, which is a good indication that you are doing good work. Start off your Cardio-vascular training by walking, jogging or running. This will depend on where you are at with your fitness at this moment in time. The principle is the same throughout though. A simple program could consist of a 30 minute run/walk. Warm up the muscles gradually then do a timed effort. Turn round and come back again. Record the distance (use a landmark etc) and try to beat this the next time you go.

I prefer to run a straight course rather than a circuit. Purely a personal choice based on if you run out to a point in your best time, no matter how you feel, you have to get back to the start. Therefore there is no short cut or easy way out. Encouraging you to do a bit more work than you probably wanted to. This takes you out of your comfort zone.

Stretch off the leg muscles as shown in the photos...

• Find a safe route where you can walk or jog. A treadmill in the gym is acceptable but nothing beats the great outdoors.
• Do your mobility routine and warm up the muscles by steady walking for 5 minutes.
• Then walk/jog/run with a purpose (get a sweat on) for 10 minutes and remember how far you get.
• Turn round and come back again.
• Cool down and stretch off the muscles in your legs for 5 minutes.
• Record the distance.