Aerobic Exercise | Fitness: The Benefits Of Aerobic Exercise
九月 3, 2010 by jimmy
Filed under: news 

By Lisa WoodsRiver Life

Last week’s column talked about the common myths of weight loss, nutrition and exercise. One of the myths mentioned was the fact that cardiovascular/aerobic exercise is not needed in order to lose weight. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE) "it is an essential part of EVERY exercise program and should be done for a minimum of 30 minutes on most days of the week". But what exactly is aerobic exercise and what are the benefits of it?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." It can also be defined as "any exercise that increases the need for oxygen and increases your heart rate". Some examples of aerobic exercise include:

- Jogging

- Running

- Walking

- Cycling

- Swimming

- Stair climbing

What Are the Benefits of Aerobic Exercise?

Any type of aerobic exercise will strengthen your heart and lungs. As you are exercising, your muscles will begin to demand more oxygen; as a result, your heart will start to beat faster and eventually will grow stronger so it can meet the muscles’ demands without as much effort. Regardless of your age, weight or gender, everyone can benefit from aerobic exercise.

Regular aerobic exercise, when performed on most days of the week can:

- Reduce body fat and improve weight control

- Lower one’s resting heart rate

- Improve heart and lung function

- Increase HDL (good) cholesterol

- Decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety

- Increase blood supply to the muscles

How Much Aerobic Exercise Should You Do?

When thinking in terms of aerobic exercise, you want to use the FITT principles as your guideline (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type).

Frequency: The number of exercise sessions per week

If you are just getting started with an exercise routine, a minimum of 3 days per week is recommended, preferably every other day so you don’t burn out or injure yourself. As your stamina and endurance increases, you can gradually work up to 5 or 6 days per week.

Intensity: How hard you should exercise per session

Any kind of aerobic exercise should be done at a "moderate" intensity level. You want to make sure that your workout isn’t too easy, but not too hard. Working out at a moderate intensity is ideal for overall general health benefits, in addition to weight loss. To measure exercise intensity, you will want to monitor your heart rate. The

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