Health Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

There are many health benefits of aerobic exercise, whether you are trying to lose weight or just get healthier. It is recommended that people get a half hour of exercise a day, and for best results most of this should be aerobic exercise.

What is Aerobic Exercise?

Before you start exercising, you need to know exactly what aerobic exercise is. Aerobic means "with oxygen," and it refers to activities of moderate intensity performed for an extended period of time.

It differs from anaerobic exercise or weight training, as well as stretching. Together these three components make up an ideal exercise plan to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight.

There are many different kinds of aerobic exercise, such as:

• Running
• Walking
• Tennis, soccer, basketball and other sports where constant moving is involved
• Aerobic exercises, step classes, etc.
• Biking, using a real bike or a stationary machine
• Elliptical training
• Swimming

Exercise does not have to be high intensity to get the health benefits of aerobic exercise.

Benefits of Exercise

There are certain benefits of exercise in general, whether it's playing a sport that doesn't qualify as an aerobic activity, lifting weights, doing yoga or any other activities. Here are some of the pluses for working out regularly:

• Getting regular exercise reduces the risk of premature death, especially from diseases such as heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer and diabetes.
• Exercise reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
• Exercising helps reduce body weight and fat, or maintain a healthy weight.
• Physical activity helps build and maintain strong bones, muscles and joints.
• Working out can reduce depression and anxiety and give you more energy as well as a feeling of well-being.

Health Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise has many health benefits.

Beyond all that, there are some specific health benefits of aerobic exercise that should be noted:

• Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, making breathing more efficient and improving the efficiency of the heart.
• Aerobic exercise tones muscles throughout the body, which can help reduce blood pressure.
• People who get regular aerobic exercise consume more oxygen and pump more blood with each beat.
• Blood supply to the muscles is increased, as well as their ability to use oxygen.
• Heart rate and blood pressure are lower in people who get regular aerobic exercise.
• HDL cholesterol (that's the good stuff) is increased.
• Triglycerides in the blood—a risk factor for heart disease— are decreased.
• Body fat and weight can both be reduced by getting an hour of aerobic exercise a few times a week.
• Glucose tolerance and insulin resistance improve in those who regularly exercise, reducing the risk of diabetes.

Choosing Aerobic Exercise

If it's been a long time since you've exercised at all, you don't want to start out running. Your potential is high for doing damage to your body that way. Before you get started on a new exercise plan, talk to your doctor and get a checkup so you know there's nothing you need to take into consideration (such as an old injury or a health condition) that may impair your ability to exercise.

The government suggests 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or 60 minutes several times a week. More exercise is needed for those who are trying to lose weight.

It's a good idea to start slowly—even just with walking at an easy pace—and build up over the course of a few weeks to greater time and intensity. If you can, get a friend or your spouse to buddy up with you. You'll feel much more motivation to continue your new healthy lifestyle if you have someone along for the ride.

It doesn't take long to begin seeing the results of regularly getting aerobic exercise. Your clothes will start to fit better, you'll start to feel better, and you'll be protecting your health all at the same time. Surely that's worth half an hour a day.