Ron Zalko touts benefits of cardio for those who don't have a lot of time

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      Vancouver gym owner Ron Zalko knows that in a fast-paced world, it’s sometimes hard for busy folks to get into a comprehensive exercise program.

      In a recent interview with the Georgia Straight in his 20,000-square-foot Kitsilano facility, the veteran fitness expert made the case that cardiovascular workouts are a better option for those with limited amounts of time.

      “I think cardio is number one,” Zalko said. “Why? Because it’s really taking care of everything you need to take care of.”

      He said it can help prevent heart disease and diabetes and also reduce obesity. Zalko himself used to be obese as a very young man, but he shed excess pounds doing triathlons. He noted that running, cycling, and swimming—as well as aerobics—will enhance muscle tone.

      “That’s because our muscle is hiding behind layers of fat,” he said with a laugh.

      He added that cardio does not have to be boring. People can do the treadmill for 10 minutes, then move to the stepmill for another 10, then follow that with another 10 minutes of elliptical training.

      Ron Zalko Fitness & Yoga offers many classes—such as spinning, zumba, and cross-training—that also provide high-intensity cardio workouts. For those with a little more time to get fit in the new year, Zalko recommended four one-hour workouts a week that include 20 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of weight training, and 20 minutes of core exercise and stretching.

      However, he noted that even the best training program won’t offset the negative impact of poor eating habits. When asked what foods people should cut out of their diet, he replied: “Sugars, salts, fat.”

      Zalko said that 75 percent of weight loss is related to what people eat and only 25 percent is linked to exercise.

      “Eating correctly means check your portions,” he advised.

      Author and CrossFit trainer Dai Manuel drew a large crowd at his recent book launch.

      Meanwhile, another Vancouver fitness entrepreneur, Dai Manuel, recently released a new book that also speaks to busy people’s desire to get healthy without devoting too much time to the effort. It’s entitled Dai Manuel’s Whole Life Fitness Manifesto: 30 Minutes a Day for a Healthier Body, Mind, and Spirit.

      Manuel, chief operating officer of Fitness Town, calls on readers to invest just over two percent of their day into themselves.

      Fifteen minutes a day would be devoted to body-weight movements, five minutes to mindfulness, and the final 10 minutes to personal development.

      At a book launch at Kitsilano’s RYU Apparel Inc. store on January 3, Manuel told a story about how another author, Bronnie Ware, had many heartfelt conversations with seniors while researching her 2012 book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.

      Manuel highlighted one regret in particular: the wish among seniors that they had allowed themselves to be happier in their lives

      “There is an opportunity to choose every day when you wake up how you’re going to affect the world that you live in,” Manuel said.

      In the past, Manuel has blogged about the best way to do cardio. His tips have included taking deep breaths while exercising, increasing the incline or speed of the treadmill, doing a different programmed workout on an elliptical trainer, and thinking about the full range of body motions.

      More recently, however, he put out a more lighthearted tweet that revived the age-old debate between cardio and conditioning. It listed 15 differences, all in favour of conditioning, among them: “Conditioning builds legs of steel. Cardio builds legs of an underfed seabird.”

      It’s not a sentiment likely shared by many long-distance runners. Or Ron Zalko, for that matter.

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