Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise or cardio, is exercise that uses your large muscle groups for an extended period of time. Popular types of aerobic exercises include walking, swimming, running and cycling. Participating in regular aerobic exercise can help improve your fitness, reduce your risk for disease, and boost your overall health.
Benefits
As you regularly participate in aerobic exercise, your heart and lungs become stronger and more efficient, which means their ability to deliver oxygen and other important nutrients to your body tissues is improved. As your heart becomes stronger, it is able to pump more blood with less work, which helps it stay healthy. Regular aerobic exercise can also help control your blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce your risk for some types of cancer and improve your mood.
Recommendations
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends participating in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days each week. The ACSM states that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise is enough for an average, healthy adult to maintain good health and reduce the risk for developing chronic diseases. Although 30 minutes five days each week is recommended, more aerobic exercise may be necessary for promoting and sustaining weight loss. The intensity of your aerobic exercise also plays a role in how much exercise you may need.
Workout Intensity
Aerobic exercise done at moderate intensity is the general recommendation for improved health. A moderate intensity level is one that noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing as you exercise but still allows you to carry on a conversation. You can also use your heart rate to gauge your exercise intensity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that your heart rate for moderate-intensity exercise should be between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. You can estimate your maximum heart rate per minute by subtracting your age from 220.
Considerations
You should check with your doctor before beginning an aerobic exercise routine particularly if you have been sedentary or if you have a condition that may make exercise unsafe for you. Once you are cleared to exercise, slowly and gradually work your way up to the recommended amount of exercise. Doing too much exercise too soon can increase your chances of injury. Choose a type of aerobic exercise you enjoy to increase your chances of sticking with your workout plans and always begin and end your exercise sessions with a warm up and cool down.
References
- Medline Plus: Exercise and Weight Loss
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Fitness Fundamentals: Guidelines for Personal Exercise Programs
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity and Health: The Benefits of Physical Activity
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity & Public Health Guidelines
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity for Everyone: Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
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