According to the Mayo Clinic, regular participation in exercise, including exercises targeting your cardiorespiratory endurance, will improve your mood, make it easier for you to regulate your weight and decrease your likelihood of developing chronic disease. Aerobic exercise will also enhance your ability to take up and use oxygen during activity, thereby improving your cardiorespiratory endurance. Participate in activities such as running, bicycling and cross-country skiing to boost your cardiorespiratory endurance.
Running
Running can improve your cardiorespiratory stamina. The American Heart Association touts running or jogging as a particularly beneficial exercise for improving your endurance and generating health benefits for your heart, lungs and circulation. If you don't have a serious health condition, the AHA suggests you perform moderate- to vigorous-intensity running or jogging for a minimum of 30 minutes, most days of the week. For you to derive optimal effects from running, including improved cardiorespiratory endurance, your exercise intensity should be about 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, which is the maximum number of times your heart will beat in one minute. Alter your running intensity by choosing the appropriate terrain and varying your speed accordingly. Perform hill running periodically to add variety to your routine, and incorporate interval training--short bouts of higher-intensity activity--to help boost your aerobic capacity.
Bicycling
Bicycling is a fun, low-impact exercise that improves your cardiorespiratory endurance and aerobic capacity. The International Bicycle Fund touts cycling as a therapeutic exercise that will boost your cardiovascular endurance, along with improving your self-esteem and helping you regulate your weight. Bicycling is of special benefit if you have had joint-replacement surgery. According to the Mayo Clinic, following total hip-replacement surgery, while high-impact activities may not be possible, bicycling can be a viable, low-impact way to speed recovery and enhance your endurance and stamina.
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is one of the most physically demanding aerobic activities. Cross-country skiing challenges your cardiorespiratory system by forcing it to cope with quadrupedal movement--using all four of your limbs to propel yourself down the trail. Your body is well adapted to bipedal movement or movement on two legs, but adding your arms as methods of propulsion places higher-than-usual demands on your body and stimulates significant training adaptations, including enhanced cardiorespiratory endurance. One measure of your cardiorespiratory capacity is the volume of oxygen your body can take up and consume (VO2 max). According to TopEndSports.com, a world-class male cross-country skier typically possesses a VO2 max of about 80 ml/kg/min, and some skiers may even exceed 90 ml/kg/min. The average untrained male's VO2 max is about 45 ml/kg/min, states CyclingMind.com. Cross-country skiing is another low-impact method of boosting your cardiorespiratory endurance, and it can be enjoyed by almost anyone, regardless of age.
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