Aerobic exercise makes your heart rate rise and forces the muscles throughout your body to work harder, strengthening your heart and lungs. Aerobic exercise is something that almost anyone can do in order to improve lung function and enhance your overall health. Several diseases and conditions can be prevented or treated with regular aerobic exercise. Not only will you feel better, you will look better too.
Lung Function
Your lungs and how they function are one of the components to vitality. Your heart and lungs are part of your respiratory system and helping them remain healthy is critical to your overall health. The lungs, through respiration, take in about 17,000 breaths daily, according to the American Lung Association. As you breathe, you are incorporating fresh oxygen into your bloodstream, which helps improve cell function. When you take in a breath, oxygen cells are changed for carbon dioxide, which are exhaled as a waste.
Types
Several types of aerobic exercise can help your lungs. Aerobic activity can range from low-impact exercises such as step aerobics, walking and gardening. You can work your physical fitness levels up to moderate aerobic activity including elliptical machine workouts, swimming and jogging. More intense aerobic activity includes stair-climbing, rowing, cycling, dancing and cross-country skiing. To reach aerobic levels, you should try to reach 60 percent to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Physical Benefits
Aerobic exercise brings several benefits. For the lungs, you can decrease your resting heart rate and respiration. You will also see weight loss and muscle definition if you engage in regular aerobic exercise. Healthy adults should exercise at least 30 minutes per day -- up to five days a week for optimal heart and lung health. Children and teens need about 60 minutes of exercise daily in order to meet the physical demands of the respiratory system.
Disease Prevention
If you are engaging in regular aerobic activity, you might be reducing your risk for certain types of disease including heart disease and lung disease. Regular aerobic activity can help you control your blood sugar levels if you are diabetic and may also prevent adult onset diabetes. Other medical conditions that can be prevented or controlled are hypertension, high blood cholesterol levels and obesity.
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