Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercises involves rhythmic and repetitive physical activities that engage large muscle groups in your body. This type of exercise elevates your heart rate and enhances your oxygen consumption. Examples include walking, cycling, and swimming. It helps lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels.

What is aerobic exercise?

Aerobic exercise involves physical activities that engage large muscle groups in a rhythmic and repetitive manner. You can modify the intensity of your workout, which reflects how hard your body is working.

This type of exercise raises your heart rate and enhances oxygen consumption, with “aerobic” meaning “with oxygen.” During aerobic activities, your breathing regulates the oxygen supply to your muscles, aiding in energy expenditure and movement..

What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises?

Aerobic and anaerobic refer to how your body generates energy.

Aerobic means “with oxygen.” During continuous activities that elevate your heart rate, your cells utilize oxygen to create energy. Walking is an example of aerobic exercise.

Anaerobic means “without oxygen.” In high-intensity activities that are brief, your cells do not rely on oxygen for energy production. Lifting weights is an example of anaerobic exercise.

What are examples of aerobic exercises?

There are many types of aerobic exercises, with some of the most common being:

  • Walking or jogging
  • Cycling
  • Using cardio equipment
  • Swimming

Walking or jogging

Walking is one of the easiest and most accessible forms of aerobic exercise. You can adjust the intensity to suit your fitness level. Jogging is faster than walking but slower than running, and it places more stress on your joints, making it unsuitable for those with injuries. Besides athletic shoes, no special equipment is needed for walking, and it can be done almost anywhere—outdoors or indoors (such as in malls, on indoor tracks, or using a treadmill). This versatility makes walking a great option to maintain your routine year-round and is an excellent choice for starting your first exercise program.

Cycling

Cycling is an aerobic exercise you can perform on a stationary bike or a regular bicycle. You can modify the intensity by selecting a higher resistance on a stationary bike or choosing routes with more hills or inclines. It can be particularly beneficial for individuals with arthritis or joint issues, as it supports heart health while minimizing mechanical stress on the back, hips, knees, and ankles that walking might cause. However, if you choose to cycle outdoors, weather conditions may restrict your activity.

Cardio Equipment

Cardio equipment includes machines that increase your heart rate while you complete a repetitive motion. Some common types of cardio equipment are:

  • A rowing machine.
  • Stair climbers.
  • An elliptical.
  • A treadmill.

You can find these types of machines at your local gym or you can add one to your home. They’re usually larger and can take up a lot of space if you choose to get one for at-home use. Since there are a lot of different types of cardio machines, you should try out different ones at a gym or fitness center first. It can take time to see which machine you enjoy most and which one puts less stress on areas of your body where you may have an injury or issue. Your healthcare provider can also recommend what type of cardio machine is best for you.

Swimming

Swimming is a low-impact exercise that engages your arms and legs to move through the water. The intensity tends to be higher in open water compared to a pool. If you experience joint pain, water aerobics and water walking are excellent alternatives, as the buoyancy of the water reduces stress on your joints. When swimming or engaging in water activities, it’s important to do so under the supervision of a lifeguard for safety in case of an emergency.

What are the benefits of aerobic exercise?

The benefits of aerobic exercise include:

  • Building stronger bones.
  • Improving your muscle strength, endurance and flexibility.
  • Improving your balance.
  • Increasing your mental function.
  • Assisting in weight management and/or weight loss.

In addition, aerobic exercise can:

  • Reduce your risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, stroke or diabetes.
  • Improve your lung function.
  • Lower your blood pressure.
  • Increase HDL or “good” cholesterol.
  • Help to better manage your blood sugar.

What are the risks of aerobic exercises?

Participating in physical activities can put you at risk of injury, including:

How do I keep myself safe while doing aerobic exercises?

Before starting an exercise program, it’s essential to consult your healthcare provider to discuss any potential limitations. If you have conditions like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, or pulmonary issues, you may require specific safety guidelines for exercising. While the type of exercise you choose is a personal decision, it’s important to consider certain factors to minimize the risk of injury or complications and to enhance your overall enjoyment of the activity.

Preventing aerobic exercise injury

You can take steps to prevent injury during aerobic exercise by:

  • Talking to your healthcare provider before starting regular physical activity.
  • Learning how to use exercise equipment safely.
  • Using good techniques and performing the exercise as instructed.
  • Wearing proper gear or clothing.
  • Being aware of your surroundings.
  • Warming up and stretching.

If you develop symptoms during exercise including, but not limited to, unusual shortness of breath; tightness in the chest; chest, shoulder or jaw pain; lightheadedness; dizziness; confusion or joint pain, you should stop exercising immediately and contact your healthcare provider.

What is the “talk test?”

If you’re beginning a new type of aerobic exercise, you can use the “talk test” to gauge whether the activity is too strenuous. While exercising, try to hold a conversation or speak clearly. If you find it difficult to talk, the intensity may be too high. As you develop strength and stamina over time, you can repeat this test and may find it easier to converse during your workout.

How often should I do aerobic exercises?

You should get about 150 minutes of physical activity each week. The amount per week equals about 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This is the recommended minimum guideline for reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

It can be overwhelming to accomplish 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week. To make this amount of time easier to accomplish, follow these tips:

  • Schedule time during your day for physical activity.
  • Choose activities that you enjoy doing.
  • Exercise in small increments of time, for example, take three shorter walks that are 10 minutes each in a day.
  • Participate in activities with your friends or family.

You can do aerobic exercises every day. There’s no need to rest in between sessions unless you’re at an extreme level of training, such as preparing for a marathon, or if you experience reoccurring joint pain. If joint pain is a limiting factor, talk to your healthcare provider about less painful exercises.

How do I do aerobic exercises?

An aerobic exercise should happen in three steps:

  • A warmup period.
  • Progression of the exercise.
  • A cooldown period.

Warming up and cooling down

Each session of aerobic exercise should include a warm-up and a cooldown period. The warm-up should not involve static stretching; instead, it should consist of a gradual increase in the pace and intensity of the exercise. This helps boost blood flow to your muscles and reduces the risk of muscle or joint injuries. Aim for a warm-up lasting between five and ten minutes. The cooldown should match that duration, allowing your pace to decrease gradually. After the cooldown, incorporating stretching exercises is beneficial.

Progression of aerobic exercise

Progression in exercise refers to the gradual increase in intensity or workload during your activities. This should be tailored to your individual tolerance and strength levels. If you’re just starting out, it’s important to take it slow. Conversely, if you’re training for a marathon, you can gradually ramp up the intensity and workload of your workouts over time.

There are three ways to progress an aerobic exercise:

  • Increase speed.
  • Increase resistance.
  • Increase duration (time).

Any of these methods, or a combination of these methods, will improve aerobic fitness. Increasing intensity should be done very gradually. You should challenge yourself for only a few minutes at a time.

Do I need to go to a gym to do aerobic exercises?

No, you don’t need to go to a gym or fitness center to do aerobic exercises. You can do the following aerobic exercises at home:

  • Walking.
  • Dancing.
  • Riding a bicycle.
  • Mowing the lawn (with a push mower).

If you like using specialized cardio equipment like an elliptical or treadmill, you may choose to go to a gym to do aerobic exercises.

Aerobic exercises are an activity that gets you up and moving. It increases your heart rate and can make you sweat. Exercising can be challenging, but you can make it easier by doing activities that you enjoy with people you like to spend time with. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting a new physical activity to make sure it’s safe. If you experience pain while exercising, stop the activity and contact your provider.

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