According to the American Diabetes Association, endurance exercise training is associated with enhanced metabolic regulation in adults, which means that your body is able to more efficiently regulate your blood sugar levels and keep your energy levels balanced. The ADA notes that, despite the potential health benefits of endurance exercises training, many adults choose not to participate, stating insufficient time as a barrier to participation. To bolster your cardiovascular health, consider pursuing endurance exercises that are challenging, yet fun.
Canoeing
According to Outside Magazine, paddling sports, such as whitewater canoeing, are grueling endurance activities. While whitewater canoeing is less of a full body workout than rowing or cross-country skiing, it still requires a sufficient level of aerobic conditioning. Whitewater canoeing challenges your upper body and core and is sufficiently physiologically demanding as to produce endurance training effects and adaptations. Canoeing on lakes, especially if it's windy and the water is choppy, can also be a grueling endurance activity that will boost your cardiovascular endurance and improve your upper body strength. Often, canoeing from lake to lake involves long portages, which involve you hauling your canoe over rough terrain, and this can stimulate endurance training effects too. Canoeing, while challenging, can be a fun way to improve your aerobic endurance, and it can be performed with friends and family or on your own.
Roller Skating and Rollerblading
The Roller Skating Association International touts roller skating as a complete aerobic workout that recruits all your body's muscles, especially your heart and that roller skating is comparable to jogging in terms of the health benefits you derive, the number of calories you burn per session, your ability to regulate body fat and your development of leg strength. The American Heart Association recognizes roller skating as a vigorous aerobic activity that improves your cardiorespiratory fitness and your aerobic endurance. Roller skating and rollerblading are fun, low-impact activities that your whole family can enjoy, and you can push yourself as hard or as light as you desire. The many types of the activity--including long-distance races, roller derbies, figure skating, rink hockey and roller-dancing--ensure that you're never short of variety, and they all challenge you to improve your endurance and build a healthier body.
Jumping Rope
According to Rope Sport, jumping rope is an effective way to improve your cardiovascular endurance and is easy to learn, fun, inexpensive, portable and great for kids. Rope Sport states that jumping rope can burn up to 1000 calories per hour, which makes it one the most efficient workouts you could perform. It also tones your muscles, both in your upper body and lower body, optimizes your aerobic conditioning, improves your balance, agility, timing and coordination and strengthens your muscles and bones. Jumping rope is even touted by the American Heart Association and the Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance as a potent exercise to improve your endurance and ward off heart disease. Your skipping rope is easy to pack, and you can take it with you when you travel. If you haven't jumped rope since you were in grade school, consider re-familiarizing yourself with this powerful, endurance-building exercise.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Short-Term Sprint-Interval Training and Metabolic Regulation in Adult Humans
- Outside Magazine: Paddling
- Roller Skating Association International: Exercise Benefits of Roller Skating
- American Heart Association: Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Fact Sheet
- Rope Sport: Jump Roping Benefits
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