Aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, biking and swimming increase your breathing and heart rates, which allows more oxygen to reach muscles and vital organs and strengthens your heart. The American Heart Association recommends engaging in some type of aerobic activity for 30 minutes five or more days a week. This approach has numerous pros; cons may include the potential for an injury when doing certain types of activities and engaging in unapproved exercise with a cardiac condition. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.
Health Benefits
Doing aerobic exercise can decrease your risk for health conditions like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and various types of cancer. It can also help you manage chronic conditions. For example, aerobic exercise is good for lowering blood pressure, managing blood sugar and may be a beneficial therapy for heart disease. Physical activity can also help conditions like arthritis. If you don't move your joints, they become more stiff and painful. According to MayoClinic.com, aerobic exercise also activates your immune system so you aren't as vulnerable to cold and flu viruses.
Mood and Cognitive Benefits
Aerobic exercise releases endorphins, brain chemicals that make you feel better. MayoClinic.com cites studies showing that aerobic exercise can ease symptoms of depression, reduce anxiety and promote a state of relaxation. Physical activities like aerobics and swimming classes also encourage you to get out and mingle with other people, which may improve your mood. In addition, MayoClinic.com reports that 30 minutes of aerobic activity at least three days weekly may decrease age-related cognitive decline.
Risk of Injury
There is a risk of getting injured with just about any physical activity, but the risk may be a particular con of certain aerobic activities. For example, running or jogging is a common aerobic activity that carries a high injury potential. Your feet hit the ground 800 to 1,000 times during each running mile, with a force of about three times your body weight, the "Irish Independent" newspaper notes. If you don't warm up properly before a jog, you may experience muscle, ligament, joint and even bone injuries. Many aerobic activities are associated with injuries to various parts of the body, particularly if the activity is vigorous and you don't warm up properly.
Exercise and Heart Attacks
Aerobic exercise is beneficial for your cardiovascular health and is usually encouraged even when you have an illness. However, heart attack and sudden death from strenuous exercise is a risk for a small percentage of people. You should always talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen if you have a heart ailment, have always been inactive, or typically experience chest pain, shortness of breath or an irregular heart rate when you exercise.
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