Aerobic Exercise: Customize it to You Needs

Tom Rooney

When most people hear the word aerobic, they think of lines of people, usually women, following the rhythmic movements of an instructor. While this is a type of aerobic exercise, it’s not the whole story.

Aerobic actually means using oxygen. The main purpose of aerobic exercise is to help you improve the body’s oxygen consumption. Consistent aerobic exercise can help the body become more efficient in how it uses oxygen on a normal basis. There are many ways to get aerobic exercise. Anything that uses consistent, rhythmic motions that keep your heart rate up to between 70 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate can be an aerobic exercise: running, jumping rope, speed walking, climbing stairs, bicycle riding and playing sports are just a few.

Aerobic exercise has many great benefits. Consistent aerobic exercise at the right heart rate can actually help people reduce their risks of death by cardiovascular issues. Aerobics will strengthen respiratory muscles. This in turn helps air flow and increases the heart’s efficiency. Additionally, people who participate in regular aerobic exercise often find themselves looking fitter. This is because regular exercise can tone the muscles all over the body. Toned muscles help overall circulation.

It is not necessarily safe to just jump right into aerobic exercise. Here are some tips to help you know when you are doing your aerobic exercise safely:

Monitor heart rate. You can easily monitor your heart rate with this quick test. If you can talk but not sing then you are in the right range.
Start slow. Especially if aerobic exercise is new to you or if you haven’t done it in a while you’ll want to start slow with short sessions. As your body gets more used to the exercise you can gradually increase the length and intensity of your workouts.
Find the right equipment. One of the best investments for people embarking on a new fitness journey is a great pair of shoes. There are many types of shoes for varying aerobic exercises and they are meant to provide the right type of support for your activity. That is why people looking for aerobic exercise shoes will find different shoes for walking, running, tennis, etc. You’ll need to find aerobic shoes to fit your preferred exercises.

If you are serious about starting an aerobic exercise routine, it’s best to find one that suits your lifestyle. People who prefer to be in groups should look into joining a sports league such as racquetball, basketball or tennis or joining a fitness center that offers fitness classes. People who prefer to work out alone can look into swimming, running or doing aerobics classes on videos.

The biggest caution against aerobic exercise is that sometimes people go all out with aerobic exercise and end up not getting a well-balanced workout. That is, they get plenty of aerobic exercise but fail to do the strength training necessary to build and maintain muscles – particularly in the upper body that isn’t always used in aerobic workouts. People who want a well-rounded exercise program should opt for a variety of exercises including aerobics and some weight training.