Aerobic exercise is essential for a strong, healthy heart and maintaining peak performance of your cardiovascular system. A strong heart functions more efficiently with less effort. This keeps your blood pressure normal and reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease. Aerobic exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate to a level where you break a sweat but are still able to talk, according to the Texas Heart Institute.
Types
Activities such as walking at a moderate or vigorous pace, running, jogging, swimming, bicycling or step or water aerobics are good forms of aerobic activities. Choose an activity you enjoy doing so you will be more likely to stick with it long enough to see and feel the benefits.
Recommendation
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week or 75 hours of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. That is only 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Beginners or people who have not exercised in a while should start out with three 10-minute intervals per day, five days a week. Gradually increase your exercise intervals until you can do an entire 30-minute session.
Caution
Get an okay from your doctor before you begin any type of exercise program, even if you feel fine, to make sure you do not have any serious health issues. Check with your doctor before starting an exercise program if you are on any medications, have heart problems, have had a heart attack or are diabetic. Talk to you doctor before exercising if you have joint or bone issues, high blood pressure and are not taking medication for it, have a family history of coronary artery disease or are a man over 45 or a woman over 50 and are new to exercise.
Challenge Yourself
The Centers for Disease Control suggests challenging yourself to exceed the recommended aerobic exercise amounts once you have achieved a certain level of fitness. Aim for 300 minutes, or 5 hours, of moderate aerobic exercise or 150 minutes, or 2 hours and 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise.
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