1. Heart Beating and Oxygen Use Required
Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise requires you to be in constant motion to keep your heart rate elevated. You want to make your heart and lungs really work to consider your workout aerobic. We all do lots of activities that gets our blood pumping or makes us breathe harder, but cardiovascular exercise maximizes both by working our body to burn fat and build muscle while improving lung and heart function.
2. I Have to do What for How Long?
In a perfect world you should get cardio every day for 20 minutes to an hour to achieve the maximum benefit. But let's get real--not many people can find the time for that much exercise. Many exercise experts say any aerobic exercise is better than none and 3-4 days is acceptable. So you don't have to kill yourself to get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise and most of us can find 30 minutes a few days a week for this important part of an exercise routine.
3. Get Your Big Muscles Moving
Cardiovascular exercise is often weight-bearing and uses your large muscles. Walking is the most popular exercise for aerobic activity but you have to really pick them up and put them down to achieve your target heart rate. Jogging makes this much easier but is also harder on your joints so you may want to opt for power walking if you have painful joints or feet. You can try some of the newest classes to get your aerobic activity like Zumba, a unique Latin dance inspired class, or kick boxing, which men find a little more palatable. The options for aerobic activity are wide so look into jump roping, skiing, racquet sports and machines like elliptical trainers or stair steppers. If you have joint disease or severe pain in the joints, consider swimming, bicycling or rowing.
4. Check Your Heart Rate for Rapid Results
It's important for you to keep the intensity of your aerobic exercise high enough to be in your target heart zone. To find your target heart rate subtract your age from 220 if you're male and 226 if you're female, then multiply this by .5 and .75. These two numbers are your target heart range. You want to stay at about 70% or lower of the highest number to get the most aerobic benefit from exercise.
5. Live Longer and Stronger
The benefits of getting your heart pumping include, most importantly, reducing your risk of heart disease. Cardiovascular exercise also improves blood triglyceride levels, heart function and muscle mass. All types of aerobic activity, but especially weight bearing, can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program to begin safely so you can live longer and stronger.
