1. Aerobics Works the Heart
The reason you do aerobic exercise is to properly exercise your heart. The goal is to achieve between 60 and 80 percent of you maximum heart rate (MHR). Figuring out your MHR is easy. All you have to do is subtract your age from 220. So, if you're 30 years old, your MHR is 190 beats a minute (220-30=190). At 60 percent, this comes to 114, and 80 percent, it comes to 152. Therefore, if you want to enhance your cardio fitness while doing aerobics, you need to aim to get your heart rate between 114 and 152 beats a minute.
2. Three Phases of an Aerobic Workout
To achieve an aerobic workout, you need break it down into three phases: warm up, work out and cool down. You should warm up with stretching and breathing exercises for about eight to 10 minutes. The main reason for warm up is to increase your body temperature and loosen the legs and joints to prevent strain. Then begin your workout--which should last ideally 20 to 40 minutes to enhance your cardiovascular fitness and body composition. Finally, hit the cool down phase for anywhere from five to 10 minutes. Cooling down properly gradually gets the whole body back to its original resting level.
3. The Faster you go, the Better
A study based on a three mile run done three times a week proved that the faster you go during aerobic exercise, the more weight you lose, the healthier your heart is and the more your body's metabolism rate increases. So jogging is more beneficial than walking. You still want to keep your MHR at about 60 to 80 percent, so fit the program to your needs. But remember that the more intense aerobic workout you do, the healthier aerobic fitness you achieve.
4. Jog, run, Sprint and Walk
Another effective way to exercise the body with aerobics is interval training. You perform a light aerobic exercise like walking and then do a high aerobic exercise like sprinting, running or jogging. It's a great way to give your body a break from the usual workout routine and train the body to adjust to various stresses. Interval training even raises the body's base metabolic rate. You burn more calories all the time not just during your workout.
5. Measuring Results and Improvements
Getting results and noticing improvements are the primary motivations for aerobic exercises. How can you tell if you are getting results or improving? Take a look in the mirror; it's the finest assessment. Results like losing fat and gaining muscles only show up by the inches you lose, not by what your scale shows. But the real measurement of your progress is how you feel. And your friends will notice a change in your appearance and attitude, too. The results don't happen overnight, though. It may take weeks, but aerobics are well worth the effort in the years to come.
Member Comments