Fitness

Want to increase your stamina? Work on your cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance!

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2024

Want to increase your stamina? Work on your cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance!

Cardiorespiratory fitness refers to how well your body does while performing a physical task. A healthy diet, weight control and interval training are great ways to improve this.

An increase in stamina, low chances of heart disease and control over high blood pressure are all benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness, also known as cardiorespiratory endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and cardiovascular endurance, improves oxygen levels in the lungs and heart when we are doing anything that involves physical exertion.

Cardiorespiratory fitness refers to how well your body can perform when you are exercising. If your cardiorespiratory fitness is on point, you can endure long, physical exercise without getting tired. Read on to learn more about cardiorespiratory fitness, the exercises that can help you improve it, as well as the risks involved.

What is cardiorespiratory fitness?

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) refers to the ability of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to deliver oxygen during prolonged physical activities. “It is an important sign for overall health and heart function,” explains cardiologist Dr Chirag D.

According to research published in Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Abdominal Obesity, cardiorespiratory fitness can be determined by gender, age and genetics, as well as, the relationship between your health and physical activity. Strong CRF allows you to perform daily activities with more ease, reducing fatigue during tasks like climbing stairs or carrying groceries. It also helps you recover faster from exercise, allowing you to get back to your workout routine sooner.

What are the various endurance tests for cardiorespiratory fitness?

Your cardiorespiratory fitness can be measured through some tests.

1. VO2 Max Test

This test measures the maximal uptake of oxygen in a high-intensity exercise. In this exercise, you get on a treadmill or a bike and increase your intensity every few minutes, until you are exhausted. This method is touted to be the most accurate one, states this research, published by the University of Virginia.

2. 6-Minute Walk Test

This test evaluates sub-maximally distance covered within six minutes. This test is low risk and is useful in assessing adults who have love cardiorespiratory fitness, states this study, published in Pulmonology.

3. Treadmill Stress Test

This test monitors heart rate during increasing intensity levels on a treadmill. This test is usually done in a lab, where electrodes are put on the patient’s chest, and these are then connected to an ECG machine. This makes a record of all heart activity, including blood pressure and heart rate, states this study, published by the National Institute of Health.

What are the causes of low cardiorespiratory fitness?

Various causes are associated with low respiratory fitness levels. Some of these are as follows:

Sedentary lifestyle: No regular exercise and sedentary desk jobs can lead to cardiorespiratory fitness levels dropping. No exercise often leads to fatty material in your arteries. This can cause serious problems, including a heart attack. Exercise is beneficial for cardiovascular health, states this study, published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.
Chronic diseases: Illnesses like heart attack, diabetic condition, and lung problems can also lead to a drop in cardiorespiratory fitness. This disease can also cause pain and fatigue.
Obesity: The burden of excessive body weight on the heart and lungs can lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels. It may also lead to cardiovascular diseases and needs to be worked on at once, reports a study, published in the Journal of Obesity.
Aging: Gradual deterioration of body strength and muscle mass over time. A study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, states that cardiorespiratory fitness levels decrease with age.

How can you improve your cardiorespiratory fitness?

There are various ways to work on your cardiorespiratory fitness levels. Here are a few ideas that you can try out.

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1. Regular aerobic exercise

Regular exercise such as walking, running, and cycling improves the performance of both the heart and lungs. A study, published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, states that adults should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

2. Interval training

Endurance can be enhanced through fluctuating intensities between highs and lows. High-intensity interval training is a form of exercise where you have short periods of intense and explosive movements, followed by low-intensity exercise or even rest. This helps control obesity and increase cardiorespiratory fitness levels, states this study, published in Frontiers in Public Health.

3. Healthy diet

Nutrient-rich foods support overall physical health and energy levels. A study, published in Nutrients, observed the impact of a healthy diet on a group of Korean adults from 19-64 years. The VO2 Max test was used to determine the cardiorespiratory fitness levels. It was seen that adults, in the age group of 19-34 years, reported high CRF levels.

4. Consistency

Regular, sustained effort is crucial for long-term improvements. Make sure that you continue to do the above-mentioned things regularly to see a change.

Cardiorespiratory fitness can be improved by regular exercise. Image courtesy: Freepik

Cardiorespiratory activities

You can try some cardio-respiratory activities that help elevate your breathing and heart rate for an extended period of time, suggests fitness expert and Fit India Ambassador Wanitha Ashok.

Brisk walking
Running
Jogging
Cycling
Swimming
Aerobics
Dance
Zumba
Jumping rope
Stair climbing
Treadmill
Stationary cycling
Cross trainer
Circuit training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
Kickboxing

What to keep in mind while doing CRF exercises?

Make sure to keep these things in mind when you practice cardiorespiratory fitness:

One should start slow and gradually build the workout in terms of duration and intensity.
You should not push yourself and listen to your body.
Hydration before, during and after the cardio respiratory exercises is advised to replace the list water in the form of sweat and to prevent giddiness and nausea.
It’s not advisable to do cardio respiratory exercises in the hot Sun, the best time to workout is early morning or evenings. In cold temperatures it’s advisable to be dressed in layers.

What are the risk factors related to cardiorespiratory fitness?

Low cardiorespiratory fitness, linked to an inactive lifestyle, weakens your body’s ability to use oxygen during exercise. Age, genetics, and certain medical conditions can also contribute. Additionally, high lipid values, high blood pressure, higher heart rates, higher waist circumference and higher body fat percentages can affect cardiorespiratory fitness levels, states this study, published in Scientific Reports.

Regular physical activity is key to improving your CRF. Even small increases in activity can significantly benefit your heart, lungs, and overall health.

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Fitness

Winter Work Outs: Beware Of Vigorous Exercise That Can Harm Your Knees And Back

Published

4 hours ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Winter Work Outs: Beware Of Vigorous Exercise That Can Harm Your Knees And Back

Last Updated:November 29, 2025, 19:15 IST

Winter is the peak season for preventable injuries, especially among people who go from zero to beast mode without warming up properly.

It is important to focus on the basics while working, especially in winter months

Winter and year-end have that weird motivational magic: the cold hits, the guilt kicks in, and suddenly everyone wants to “fix their fitness” overnight. Gyms fill up, running tracks get busy, and people jump straight from hibernation mode to high-intensity everything. And honestly? That’s where most winter workout injuries begin.

If you’ve ever felt your knees crack louder than your New Year’s resolutions or your lower back screaming after a surprise sprint session, you’re not alone. Orthopaedic doctors say winter is the peak season for preventable injuries, especially among people who go from zero to beast mode without warming up properly.

Dr Ashis Acharya, Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, puts it straight: “Cold muscles are tight muscles. Tight muscles get injured faster. Most knee and lower-back injuries in winter happen because people start vigorously without allowing the body to transition from cold to active.”

Why Winter Makes You More Vulnerable

Think of your muscles like cold rubber bands. They’re less flexible, stiffer, and more likely to snap under sudden stress. When the temperature dips, your body goes into “leave me alone” mode.

Your muscles don’t get the same easy blood flow, so they take longer to warm up. Your joints feel a little creaky, like they’ve been sitting in one position too long. And your tendons? They tighten up like stubborn rubber bands, which means your knees and lower back have to work way harder than they should.

The Usual Culprits: Mistakes Everyone Makes

‘I’ll warm up as I go’: That’s like starting your car in freezing weather and immediately hitting 100 km/h. Your knees, especially the patellofemoral joint, take the first hit.

Jumping from desk job to deadlifts: If you sit 8–10 hours a day, your hip flexors tighten, and your glutes go on vacation. Winter amplifies this. So, when you suddenly lift heavy, your lower back ends up doing the job your hips should be doing.

Running with cold shoes, cold muscles, cold everything: Runners are notorious for this. Cold mornings + no mobility work = knee pain that sticks around longer than your enthusiasm.

Overconfidence because ‘Winter feels good for workouts’: Sure, cold air feels refreshing. But inside, your joints are screaming, “please stop”.

What Actually Helps

Warm up for 10–15 minutes. Light mobility, marching, ankle circles, hip openers, simple but magic.
Start slower. Build intensity gradually over 2–3 weeks.
Layer up. Warm muscles = safer movements.
Strengthen the basics. Glutes, hamstrings, quads, core. These stabilise your knees and back.
Stretch after workouts. Winter tightness lingers, so cool-downs actually matter.

As Dr Acharya sums up, “Consistency beats intensity. Winter workouts are great, but only if your body is ready for them.” You can absolutely crush your winter goals. Just don’t treat your body like it’s auditioning for an action film on day one. Warm up, ease in, stay smart, and your knees and back will thank you all season long.

First Published:

November 29, 2025, 19:15 IST

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Fitness

I tried the Wattbike Proton smart bike for a month and it’s the best exercise bike I’ve ever used

Published

21 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

I tried the Wattbike Proton smart bike for a month and it’s the best exercise bike I’ve ever used

I’ve tried a lot of stationary exercise bikes in my time as a fitness writer, but I can safely say the Wattbike Proton is my favorite.

And now you can get your hands on the Wattbike Proton with $450 off in the Black Friday sale—down to $1,845 from $2,295 (excluding shipping). This price includes a free subscription to Hub+, the premium version of the accompanying app, worth $80.

I was lucky enough to test this smart bike out for 30 days and it’s surprisingly addictive. I’ve been using it every day without fail and it’s become my new way to de-stress.

I got into a routine of getting on the bike every night before dinner and not only did it give me a much-needed energy boost, it felt good to spin the legs and the day’s stresses away. Here’s what else I discovered.

It’s really compact

As well as a writer, I’m an independent personal trainer and my kitchen-living room is overflowing with fitness equipment, so I was pleasantly surprised that the Wattbike Proton was much smaller than I expected—just 57cm x 102cm.

At 48kg, it’s quite heavy to move, so I’d recommend setting it up next to an outlet. It does have rollers to help you move it, however.

It’s family-friendly

It’s simple to adjust (something I had to do a lot because my two daughters were obsessed with it!) and the magnetic resistance results in a smooth and quiet ride—ideal if you want to do a workout early morning or late at night when the kids are asleep.

The Proton automatically adjusts the resistance, too, so you don’t need to worry about changing it (unless you want to) and you can just concentrate on pedalling.

The app is free—no monthly fees for once!

Fans of Peloton might bemoan the lack of inbuilt screen and instructor-led classes, but one thing I loved about the bike is that you don’t have to pay for the excellent Wattbike Hub app.

There is a subscription option if you want to unlock premium features like personalized workouts, but honestly, you don’t need to.

I worked my way through multiple workouts—from HIIT, endurance, speed, aerobic all-rounders and climbs—and I still had plenty of classes to try. There are even workouts designed to improve your running performance.

And in just 30 days I felt like my cycling ability had improved. Cycling felt easier, especially riding the heavy longtail cargo bike I cart the kids around on.

You can also connect it to many of the popular cycling apps, including Zwift and Rouvy, and it will sync happily with Apple Health and Strava.

The data helps you stay motivated

When I first started using the bike, the amount of stats on the app was a little overwhelming. But as I got the hang of things I found them really motivating, and enjoyed the traffic light system that indicated when I was hitting my targets for both power output and cadence.

I’m still a little baffled by the PES (Pedalling Effectiveness Score) system, which gives a visual depiction of how well you are pedalling. Not very well in my case. My left leg was always pushing harder, according to my stats, generally around 54% compared with 46% for my right. But I put that down to my physio’s assessment that my pelvis twisted in childbirth, causing my right leg to be slightly weaker than the left.

“A perfect PES score is 75, but it’s just a guide of where you are,” Wattbike’s Tom Crampton told me. “We have some beginners who get on and just nail it and some seasoned riders who are still hovering around the 55 mark. The key thing is that it’s a visual aid and you can improve it with the simple coaching points on the app.”

The Proton is well designed, but I have some notes

The Proton is set up like a road bike with drop handlebars and a very thin racer-style saddle. It’s fine for short rides, but not that comfortable for longer ones. Padded shorts were definitely needed for any workouts longer than 40 minutes.

The Proton has two bottle holders and caged pedals, but these can be swapped for ones with toe clips if you prefer.

There’s no inbuilt screen, but it has a small media holder, which I used for my iPad and I balanced my phone on the smaller shelf below, however it fell off several times. Something more sturdy or slightly bigger so you can use a tablet and phone at the same time would be helpful.

Fitness

Is morning or evening exercise better for weight loss? Researchers find out

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Is morning or evening exercise better for weight loss? Researchers find out

Any exercise is better than no exercise when it comes to losing weight, and ultimately, you should go when you know you can stay consistent because it fits in your schedule. For some people, that’s first thing in the morning, and for others, that’s in the evening after work. Others like to mix it up depending on what’s on the agenda.

In a thought-provoking study, researchers found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, such as running, cycling, sports, and brisk walking, is protective against obesity. However, what’s less clear is the optimal time to get those muscles moving and break a sweat. Does it really matter that much? Are we overthinking it? Researchers dived deeper to understand more.

The study

In a study published in the journal Obesity, researchers placed 5285 participants into three different groups based on when they did most of their exercise:

Morning workout group
Midday workout group
Evening workout group

The researchers tested the patterns and associations between the timing of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and obesity. They compared how exercising at different times related to both waist size and body weight.

The results

The results revealed the following:

Morning exercise seemed to be the most effective for weight control.
Those who were the most active in the morning had a lower body mass index and smaller waistlines overall, even when they did the same amount of exercise as those who mostly exercised midday or in the evening.
Exercising at any time of the day was beneficial for obesity, but morning exercisers had the strongest link to lower obesity.

Meeting the exercise guidelines

Among the individuals who met the weekly exercise guidelines of at least 150 minutes every week, their average body mass index was:

Morning — 25.9
Midday — 27.6
Evening — 27.2

For those who met the exercise guidelines, their waist size was:

Morning — 91.5 cm
Midday — 95.8 cm
Evening — 95.0 cm

Overall, morning exercisers were leaner.

The takeaway

Exercise helps prevent obesity and promotes weight loss, no matter what time you get your muscles moving. This study shows that morning exercise may be superior and offer an extra advantage for weight loss compared with midday or evening exercise. In this study, morning exercisers had lower BMIs and smaller waists. There’s more to the weight-loss picture than exercise alone; other factors like nutrition, hormones, toxicity, sleep, certain medications, and stress also play a role.