Aerobic exercises are often referred to as “cardio.” It is a type of exercise that requires the heart to pump oxygenated blood to deliver oxygen to working muscles. But why is it so beneficial?
Aerobic exercise stimulates your heart rate and breathing rate to increase in a way that can be sustained throughout your exercise session. In contrast, anaerobic (“without oxygen”) exercise is activity that causes you to get out of breath quickly, such as lifting a heavy weight.
What are they?
Aerobic exercise is any physical activity that makes you sweat, breathe harder, and make your heart beat faster than at rest. It strengthens the heart and lungs and trains the cardiovascular system to more quickly and efficiently deliver and distribute oxygen throughout the body. Aerobic exercise uses large muscle groups, is rhythmic in nature, and can be sustained continuously for at least 10 minutes.
Experts recommend 30 minutes or more of aerobic exercise five or more days a week. However, this can be split. For example, we can take three 10-minute walks throughout the day.
We should also add two or more anaerobic strengthening sessions each week that focus on the major muscle groups. If we are new to training, we will consult a doctor or sports training specialist.
Advantages
Aerobic exercise not only improves physical fitness, it also has known benefits for physical and emotional health.
Fat burn
Fats and carbohydrates are the fuels that our muscles burn. The difference between them is that fat is high proof; contains 9 calories per gram, while carbohydrates have only 4, so we get more energy and can go further with a gram of fat than with a gram of carbohydrates.
We want to burn fat because it is a very efficient fuel, and it is also good to lose some of the excess fat. The problem is that we need more oxygen to burn fat because it is denser than carbohydrates. The good news is that the body improves its use of oxygen and burns fat when we do regular aerobic exercise. This makes the heart pump more blood, the muscles consume more oxygen, and we have more mitochondria.
Strengthens the heart
The heart gets stronger and pumps more blood with each beat (increased stroke volume). Elite athletes can have stroke volumes more than twice that of average individuals. But it’s not just that. Conditioned hearts are also larger in diameter and mass (the heart is also a muscle and gets bigger when we train it) and pump efficiently enough to allow for a longer fill time.
This is good because it means more blood gets to fill the chambers of the heart. The heart now has to work less hard to pump more blood with each beat.
prevents depression
Most of us who exercise regularly understand that exercise can improve our mood. There have been a number of studies investigating the effects of exercise on depression.
In one of the most recent studies, three to five days a week for 12 weeks of riding a bike or treadmill for about 30 minutes per workout was shown to reduce depression scores by 47%. It is not a substitute for therapy in depression that renders someone unable to function (in which case medication and/or psychotherapy may be necessary), but for milder forms of depression, the evidence is compelling that it can help.
Reduces osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone density, which can lead to an increased risk of fracture. The good news is that exercise can increase bone density or at least slow the rate of decline in both men and women.
It may not work for everyone, and the precise amount and type of exercise needed to reap benefits is unknown, but there is evidence that it can help. In children there is also good news. It appears that active children have higher bone density than sedentary children and that this may help prevent fractures later in life.
Types
There are many cardio exercises you can do at home. There are even others that can be made with little or no additional material. It is recommended to warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before beginning any exercise.
jump rope
Jump rope helps develop better body awareness, hand-foot coordination, and agility. The jump rope should be adjusted to our height. We will stand with both feet in the middle of the rope and extend the handles to the armpits. That is the height we are looking for. If it is too long, we will cut or tie it to avoid tripping over the rope.
Following a jump rope course is a great indoor or outdoor activity, though you’ll want to make sure you have enough space. A circuit routine should take between 15 and 25 minutes to complete. If we are an intermediate athlete, we can perform the movements for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds between series. The advanced circuit should be done for 60 seconds at a time, followed by 60 seconds of rest.
aerobic strength circuit
This exercise improves heart and cardiovascular health, increases strength and tones major muscle groups. We will focus on proper technique with each exercise to avoid injury. We will keep the heart rate at a moderate level at all times. We should be able to hold a short conversation during this exercise.
An example circuit can be the following. We will do the following strength exercises for one minute: squats, lunges, push-ups, and Russian twists. We will then jog on site for a minute for an active break. We can repeat the circuit 2 to 3 times and rest up to 5 minutes between circuits.
run or jog
Running is one of the most effective forms of aerobic exercise. It can improve heart health, burn fat and calories, and lift your spirits, just to name a few beneficial effects. It is recommended to choose lighted and safe routes to run well.
If we are beginners, we will run for 20 to 30 minutes twice a week. The pace should be conversational during the race. You can alternate between 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking to start. In order not to injure ourselves, we will always stretch after running.
Walk
Walking every day can reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression. It is advisable to have shoes that offer good ankle support to reduce the risk of injury.
If walking is your main form of exercise, try to get 150 minutes a week. This can be broken down into 30 minutes of walking 5 days a week. Or we will walk briskly for 10 minutes at a time, 3 times a day.
We can also use a fitness tracker to monitor how many steps we take each day. If the goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day, we’ll start with a base (the current number of steps we’re walking) and slowly increase our daily step count.
Swimming
Swimming is a low-impact exercise, so it’s good for people prone to or recovering from injury or living with limited mobility. It can help tone muscles and build strength and endurance. It is advised to avoid swimming alone and, if possible, choose a pool with a lifeguard on duty. If we are new to swimming, we will start by signing up for swimming lessons.
If the gym has a pool, we will try to swim as part of aerobic exercises. It’s a non-impact workout, so it’s a good option if you’re prone to injury. We’ll also be getting our heart rate up, toning our muscles, and building strength and endurance, all without adding extra stress to our bodies.
Stationary bicycle
This low-impact exercise can help build leg strength. We can ask a gym instructor to help us adjust the bike so that the seat is at the correct height. This will help reduce the risk of injury or falling off the bike.
If riding a bike at home, a general rule of thumb is to adjust the height of the bike seat to maintain 5 to 10 degrees of flexion at the knee before reaching full extension. Fully extending the knee while pedaling a stationary bike is not recommended.
Riding a stationary bike is another option for low-impact cardio. These machines are a good cardio workout, help build leg strength, and are easy to use. Many gyms and training studios offer cycling classes, which use stationary bikes. But we can still benefit from a stationary bike workout without teaching a class.
elliptical
Elliptical machines provide a good cardio workout that is less stressful on your knees, hips, and back compared to treadmill or running on the road or trails. We will look forward, not down. Use the handlebar if we feel unstable or as an aid to get on and off the machine.
The elliptical machine may seem intimidating at first, but it’s easy to use once you get the hang of it. After warming up, we’ll hold our posture upright while using our legs in a pedal motion to move the machine. We will keep the shoulders back and the abdominal muscles contracted.
aerobic exercise classes
If we don’t like to exercise on our own, a class can provide a supportive and motivating environment. We will ask the monitor to show us the proper technique if we are new.
cardio kickboxing
Kickboxing is a high-impact exercise that builds strength and endurance. It can also reduce stress and improve reflexes. It is recommended to drink plenty of water throughout the class. We will take a break if we feel dizzy.
Cardio kickboxing is a mix of martial arts, boxing, and aerobics. The class may begin with a warm-up of jogging, jumping jacks, or strengthening exercises such as push-ups. We will then expect a series of punches, kicks and hand strikes for the main training.
There may be core or strengthening exercises at the end. We will always end the workout with a cool down and stretch.
Zumba
Zumba is beneficial for heart health, improves coordination, tones the entire body, and can help relieve stress. It is one of the best known aerobic exercise classes. It is recommended to drink plenty of water during class. We will take a break if we feel tired or dizzy. We may want to wear shoes that provide good ankle support if we are prone to ankle injuries.
If we like to dance, Zumba is a fun option for aerobic training. After warming up, the instructor will instruct the class through easy-to-follow dance moves set to upbeat music. We will finish with a cool down and stretch.
spinning
Indoor cycling classes build strength and improve muscle tone and cardiovascular endurance. If we are new or need a review, we will ask the monitor to help us prepare the exercise bike. We will reduce the resistance if we get tired or take a break if we feel dizzy.
Unlike a leisurely bike ride, a cycling class will get your heart rate up. We can include both resistance and ascent (incline) portions to get the maximum benefits from the workout. This will help us build strength and tone muscles. Some classes require cycling shoes with cleats to lock onto the bike.
