Aerobic exercise requires your body to up its oxygen production to support the muscles, heart and lungs. Examples include walking, running, biking, swimming and dancing. This type of exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, improves heart health and reduces your risk of certain medical conditions. It is never too late to begin aerobic exercise, but if you have been sedentary up to this point, you need to start slowly.
Step 1
Schedule a check-up with your physician. You might need to take certain precautions depending on the presence of problems, such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure or heart conditions.
Step 2
Start slowly with low-impact activities such as walking, swimming or stationary bicycling to condition your muscles and the rest of your body. Not only will this reduce your risk of injuries and strain, it will reduce the likelihood that you'll give up on exercise.
Step 3
Aim for at least 20 minutes of physical activity two to three days a week when starting out, recommends Merck's online exercise guide. Your ultimate goal is to work out at least 30 minutes, five days a week. You must perform aerobic exercise for at least 10 minutes at a time to exert any effect, so feel free to break up exercise sessions into chunks of time at least this long.
Tips and Warnings
- Saying you want to begin jogging five miles a day when you have not worked out for years can lead to difficulty and frustration. Be patient with yourself and your limited physical fitness and gradually build up. During exercise, muscle tissue breaks down and it repairs and adapts during times of rest. If you feel pain or soreness after an exercise session, give yourself about 48 hours to recover. When you first begin exercising, you might require more rest periods, and that is OK.
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