Aerobic exercises are not just beneficial for your heart and muscle strength, they also ensure that you live a long and healthy life. Jogging, swimming, and even shopping for groceries count as aerobic activities as long as they’re done with some amount of intensity for a specified period of time.
Exercising may sound like a chore, but when it comes to aerobic exercises it can be quite more fun and effective. Not only does this form of exercise provide scope for improvisation, it is also known to show improvement in overall mental and physical health.
Aerobic exercises have various benefits. They help reduce stress, increase energy, and improve cerebral health by releasing endorphins into the brain. If you’re a beginner to this form of fitness, limit your exercise routine to ten minutes. Light activities like cooking, shopping, and doing household chores can also constitute aerobic exercises.
As per the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, aerobic exercises done as part of any form of activity will improve both muscle strength and cardiovascular health. They must be done for ten to thirty minutes everyday.
Additionally, aerobic exercises help in weight loss. In case you’re on a diet, this type of workout will help you burn excess calories and lose extra pounds. For instance, you can burn up to 300 calories by jogging at a slow pace for thirty minutes.
Aerobic Exercises – Where To Begin
The good thing about aerobic exercises is that they can be done anywhere and can be improvised to meet your fitness needs and motivation levels. Here are a few pointers that can come in handy while choosing them as a form of fitness.
Aerobic Workouts From The Comfort Of Your Home
There is no need to go to a gym in order to do aerobic exercises. Cleaning your home vigorously is as good as any aerobic workout. Just put on an exercise video or your favorite music CD to add a fun element to your exercise routine. Swimming and skipping are also effective as aerobic exercises.
According to certain studies published in the journal Appetite, aerobic exercises that deal with vertical movements of the body help in curbing food cravings and hunger.
Aerobic Exercises At The Gym
While it is okay to exercise at home, the gym does provide many more options for aerobic exercises, such as exercise bikes, cross-trainers, and rowing machines. With diverse exercise routines and varying speeds and levels of resistance, the body will get the required workout, especially for the heart and lungs. Weight lifting and working with resistance bands can also give you an excellent aerobic workout.
It is best to workout at least three to five times a week for one hour. Keep the intensity of the exercises from moderate to vigorous. You must take care not to overdo these exercises, so as to avoid injuries to your heart and lungs.
Outdoor Activities For An Aerobic Workout
Some of the outdoor activities that constitute efficient aerobic exercises can be power walking/jogging, cycling on level ground, playing doubles/singles tennis and basketball. However, it is important not to participate in team activities for an aerobic workout, since in such cases, the heart rate is allowed to drop and the energy required is divided among everybody involved.
According to studies conducted at Harvard Medical School, aerobic exercises help in improving memory functions. These exercises send certain hormones to the brain, which combine with the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is known to increase cell growth, learning capacity, and mood regulation.
Aerobic exercises make for a fun and healthy workout, whether you are at home or outside. Just make sure not to go overboard with them as you could tire your muscles and lungs. When you do them right, aerobic exercises can put a spring in your step!