What is aerobic exercise?
Aerobic exercise provides cardiovascular conditioning. The term aerobic actually means “with oxygen,” which means that breathing controls the amount of oxygen that can make it to the muscles to help them burn fuel and move.
What are the examples of aerobic exercises?
Lower impact aerobic exercise includes:
- Swimming.
- Cycling.
- Using an elliptical trainer.
- Walking.
- Rowing.
Using an upper body ergometer (a piece of equipment that provides a cardiovascular workout that targets the upper body only).
Higher impact of these exercises includes:
- Running.
- Jumping rope.
- Performing high-impact routines or step aerobics.
How often should one do these exercises?
The American Heart Association recommends that everyone reach a minimum of 30 minutes of some form of cardiovascular exercise 5 to 7 days per week. This can be broken up into 10-minute time periods. This means that taking 3 walks of 10 minutes each would let one reach the recommended minimum guideline for reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. One would also burn the same number of calories as they would if they walked for the full 30 minutes at 1 time.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a minimum of 3 sessions of 30 minutes of the total should be made up of moderate to vigorous exercise to improve cardio-respiratory fitness and help manage weight.
It is appropriate to do aerobic exercise every day. There is no need to rest in between sessions unless one is at an extreme level of training, such as preparing for a marathon, or if one experiences reoccurring joint pain.
Benefits of these exercises
- Helps with weight loss. Whether one is trying to lose weight on their own or through Ocala medical weight loss surgery, aerobic exercise will help with their success. It’ll help one keep the weight off too.
- Reduces one’s health risk. Aerobic exercise helps reduce one’s risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.
- Strengthens the heart muscle. A stronger heart doesn’t have to work as hard and is more effective at pumping blood throughout the body.
- Increases stamina. Over time, aerobic exercise will reduce fatigue and increase stamina.
- Helps clear the arteries. Aerobic exercise helps boost the HDL “good” cholesterol and lower the LDL “bad” cholesterol.
- Stimulates the immune system. By stimulating one’s immune system, they will be better able to ward off viral illnesses.
- Helps manage chronic illnesses better. Aerobic exercise helps to control high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
- Helps one stay active as they age. Aerobic exercise helps to increase mobility as one ages. It also helps clear the mind to improve cognitive ability.
- Boosts mood. Because endorphins are release during aerobic exercise, one’ll experience a heightened sense of well-being.
- Live longer. Perhaps the most important reason for participating in aerobic exercise is that it can help one to live longer when compared to those who do not exercise consistently. It will also help improve their quality of life.
