What Are the Benefits of Improved Aerobic Fitness?

What Are the Benefits of Improved Aerobic Fitness?
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Findings made by Cardiff University researchers demonstrate that improved aerobic fitness can benefit all your body's systems, including your cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems. Improved aerobic fitness also helps enhance your metabolic functions and reduces your likelihood of experiencing depression or anxiety. Performing aerobic exercise is one of the most powerful methods of developing sound health and reducing your risk of chronic disease. Exercise has even been shown to help seniors remain independent by improving functional ability and preventing devastating fractures and falls.

Cardiorespiratory

The cardiorespiratory benefits of aerobic fitness are many. Merck states that regular exercise improves your heart's pumping strength and your lung's efficiency, which allows your cardiovascular system to deliver more oxygen to your tissues with every heartbeat and your respiratory system to increase the amount of oxygen that your lungs can consume. Aerobic exercise helps regulate your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and resting heart rate and reduces your risk of heart attack, stroke and coronary artery disease. Diabetes is also less likely to develop if you participate in regular aerobic exercise.

Muscular Endurance

According to the Ask the Trainer website, your muscular endurance is derived from a combination of your muscular strength and your cardiovascular endurance. The American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) states that your aerobic fitness is a special form of muscular endurance that involves the delivery of oxygen to your working muscles so that you can perform prolonged physical work. To facilitate the delivery of oxygen to your working muscles, ASMI suggests that you should participate in focused training activities that will improve your energy stores needed for your specific sport. Improved muscular endurance frequently is an important byproduct of your aerobic fitness.

Weight Control

Research has consistently shown that your participation in aerobic exercise, in conjunction with your healthy eating habits, is the most healthful way to control your weight. The New Fitness website states that, with exercise, excess calories--that would otherwise be stored as fat--are burned, which helps you control your weight. By controlling your body weight, you are helping prevent the onset of health problems, such as osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis and some forms of cancer. Being aerobically fit means that you are contributing in a positive way to your health and longevity.

References

Article reviewed by Helen Covington Last updated on: Apr 9, 2010

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