Aerobic Exercise

What is aerobic exercise?

Aerobic means with air or oxygen. The blood that your heart pumps around your body carries oxygen to your muscles. When the amount of oxygen being carried to your muscles keeps pace with the rate at which the muscles are using it, you are doing aerobic exercise. Aerobic activities include walking, biking, jogging, swimming, aerobic classes, and cross-country skiing.

Moderate aerobic exercise is generally defined as taking about as much energy as walking 2 miles in 30 minutes.

Anaerobic exercise is sudden, strenuous activity such as weight lifting. It borrows energy from stores within the muscle that must be "paid back" by resting. Aerobic activity is much better for building up fitness and endurance because it can be kept up for a long time.

Why is aerobic exercise important?

Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and circulation and improves muscle tone. The more fit you are, the better your body can function and the more stresses it can withstand. This is especially important as you get older. You will also look and feel better.

Do I have to go to special classes to learn aerobic exercise?

Aerobic classes are lots of fun and a good way to get started if you've never done much exercise before. If you prefer group activities, aerobic classes are an excellent way to exercise.

Aerobic classes usually start you out slowly and then gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workout. They teach you how to stretch your muscles before and after exercising and how to warm up before your workout and cool down afterward.

Aerobics classes combine fat-burning aerobic movements, muscle-building exercises, stretching exercises, and dance steps into choreographed routines that are performed to music. All ages can enjoy the benefits and challenges of learning new skills presented in aerobics classes. Many health, fitness, and recreational centers offer a variety of aerobics classes.

Aerobics classes are usually offered at 3 levels of intensity. A low-impact class is conducted at a slow pace and is easy to do. It is good for people just starting an exercise program. An intermediate class is designed for people who are active and need a higher exercise level to improve and maintain their fitness. The advanced classes, also called high-impact, are for fit people who want a hard workout.

Walking, swimming, biking, dancing, jumping rope, playing tennis, and other sports provide aerobic exercise too. Any form of repetitive, rhythmic exercise that uses your large muscles, makes you breathe faster, and gets your heart going is aerobic exercise.

What about target heart rates?

Your target heart rate is the range at which the most benefit is gained from aerobic exercise. Target heart rates are useful for exercise groups and classes. They are a way to set individual exercise goals for people with different levels of fitness.

To find your target heart rate, subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate, then multiply that number by 0.6 and then by 0.8, which gives you the number of times your heart should beat per minute at the lower and upper limits of your target heart rate.

If you exercise moderately every day and feel good doing it, there's no need to be overly concerned with your target heart rate.

How much and how often?

For purposes of health and fitness, regular exercise is much more important than strenuous exercise. Choose an exercise routine that you know you will be able to keep up.

Aim for daily moderate exercise, rather than occasional intensive exercise. If you normally walk daily and miss a day occasionally, you haven't seriously interrupted your program. If you plan on 3 classes a week and miss 1 class, you've missed one third of your weekly program.

Walking for health

Daily walking is the most practical exercise for many people. You don't need a special place to do it or special equipment or clothes. You don't need an instructor or group leader. Aim to walk at least a mile a day. Walk as fast as is comfortable for you, and walk as far as you have the time and inclination to. The more fit you become, the more you will enjoy your exercise.

Be sure to get a medical checkup before starting a new or more strenuous exercise program.