Aerobic exercise gives you a method for improving your cardiovascular efficiency, managing your weight and improving your health. Over time, regular aerobic activity can lower blood pressure, improve bone health and reduce your risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some types of cancer. But you can also track the effects of aerobic exercise on your fitness, weight and health to get a more immediate idea of how it improves your cardiovascular capacity and overall quality of life.
Step 1
Assess your current aerobic fitness level. In order to monitor the cardiovascular benefits of regular aerobic exercise, you need to record where you are now as a point of reference. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends using a one mile walk or a 1.5 mile run to record and monitor your aerobic fitness. Use a stopwatch to record how long it takes you to walk one mile or run at your fastest sustainable pace for 1.5 miles. For the walk test, take and record your pulse after the walk. Repeat the same test and record the results in your notebook every six weeks to monitor your progress. As your aerobic fitness improves, you should see that you're finishing in less time and with the same or lower heart rate.
Step 2
Add intensity and duration to your cardiovascular workouts. As your fitness improves, your heart and muscles will work more efficiently, enabling you to exercise harder and longer, a sure sign that aerobic exercise works. Work on building time into your workouts first and then add intensity. If you're walking for 30 minutes, for example, increase the duration of your workouts by 10 to 15 percent each week. Once you reach your time goal, add intensity with interval training, alternating between one minute of moderate exercise and one-minute bursts of vigorous-intensity exercise.
Step 3
Take your waist, thigh and upper arm measurements every six weeks to make it easier to track changes in your physique. Monitor your weight weekly, as well, if you're using aerobic exercise to help you reach a weight goal. With regular cardiovascular exercise, you should see a difference over time, as long as you're also keeping your diet in check. To support weight loss, try to cut 250 to 500 calories from your average daily intake for best results.
Tips and Warnings
- Check with your doctor before starting an aerobic exercise program if you have a history of heart problems. Schedule regular health screenings to monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar levels, as well as any specific tests recommended by your doctor. An active lifestyle may have a positive effect on these levels, but routine screening gives you a reliable method for monitoring your health.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Aerobic Fitness
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: What the Results Mean
- MayoClinic.com: Fitness Program: 5 Steps to Getting Started
- MayoClinic.com: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity
- "U.S. News and World Report": Aerobic Exercise Boosts Memory; Laura Sanders; 2001
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