What exactly is aerobic exercise? According to Wikipedia, it means exercise to involve oxygen consumption. Aerobic refers to the use of oxygen in the body's energy-generating process. Why do we train aerobically? The advantages are many. With sufficient training of at least 3 times a week, the benefits are:
a) Increased Resting Metabolic Rate to assist in fat loss
b) Increase in the body's production of antioxidants
c) Encourages a healthy cardiovascular system
d) Strengthens the heart muscle
e) Helps fight infections
f) Helps strengthen bone mass (with the exception of cycling and swimming)
An efficient and safe method to execute involves the following phases:
1) Warm Up Phase
The muscles that are required to be active need to warm up beforehand. This could be a light 5 minute walk on the treadmill to get the blood flowing to the muscles before a run.
2) Stretching Phase
After the warm up, your body temperature would have risen slightly to cause mild sweat. This is the best time to stretch all the muscles to minimize injury such as sprains during the workout itself and to prepare them for the motions.
3) The Aerobic Phase
The actual aerobic phase can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour. There are two types of aerobic training. One is the continuous type where you will maintain your heart rate between 65% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. What is the calculation of your maximum heart rate? It is 220 minus your age. If you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 180 beats per minute. You will be training between 117-144 beats per minute.
The second type of aerobic training is the high interval type, which is alternating between a sprint and a walk. The recommended length of this type of training need not be longer than 20-30 minutes per session due to its intensity.
4) Cool Down Phase
This is an important part of the whole process as the body needs to wind down after the stress which the body has to endure in the aerobic phase. A 5 minutes walk is sufficient to cool down.
5) Stretching Phase
Stretching is not just necessary for warming up. It is also crucial after cooling down to ensure the muscles stay flexible and free of injuries. Bouncing movements, however, is not encourages in this phase.
Many people start an aerobic activity with good intentions to get healthier and lose weight only to give up after a month or two. Why? Usually it's due to jumping in too quickly and doing too much after being sedentary for years. Sometimes, it's poor planning & poor time management. Many times, the activity itself is so tedious and so boring, even a hamster would jump of the wagon.
This is something only you can decide. The activity you choose should define your personality. For instance, I love to dance and I'm active in martial arts. When I'm in a gym and I want to get a good cardio session, I will naturally gravitate towards a dance or body combat class. I have a lot of fun and I get my aerobic training at the same time!
If your favorite exercise is clicking the remote control at your sofa and need to be pushed a lot to get moving, I would suggest doing a little reading on the various types of interesting activities that you can incorporate into your life to include family members and close friends if you hate doing solitary workouts.
At least the whole family gets involved in living a healthier lifestyle. You don't have to do it alone, you know.
Related Articles
Simple Guide to Fitness and Beauty
By: Maya Matthews | 04/09/2007 | Fitness
Keeping fit and healthy is of utmost importance, can be achieved by making little daily changes, and will help us look beautiful. Beauty however also comes from within! Read this guide for effective steps to keeping fit and being beautiful.
Upper Body Exercises
By: John Spencer Ellis | 11/06/2008 | Wellness
Most upper body exercises are to build strength. In order to achieve good strength, you should do a multiple of exercises, mix in some good cardiovascular workouts - spinning, jogging, etc - and alternate the activities with lower body work. Before starting any workout, be sure to spend at least 10 minutes warming up, including stretching.
No matter what exercises you choose, don't overdo it. Build up your strength gradually.
Warm-ups for Optimal Workouts
By: John Spencer Ellis | 11/06/2008 | Wellness
Static and dynamic stretching are two elements in a warm-up routine that help prevent injury and maximize performance. Like any physical activity, don't overdo it. Warming up too much or too fast can cause an injury. The idea is to prepare the body for a workout. When done warming up, you'll be ready to perform the sport or workout of your choice with minimal risk of injury.
Strength Training: Three Myths Revealed About Weights and Weight Loss
By: Arlene Pellicane | 08/11/2007 | Wellness
You want to lose weight so how does strength training fit in the picture? Using weights is a fantastic complement to cardiovascular exercise. But there are some misconceptions about strength training you should know about.
A Few Techniques to Improve Bench Press Performance
By: Rick West | 21/01/2008 | Men's Health
A Few Techniques to Improve Bench Press Performance
Skiing and Snowboarding: Keep in Shape
By: Simon Moyes | 02/07/2007 | Sports and Fitness
Those aches on the first couple of days of your ski holiday are a painful reminder that maybe you should have done more to get your body ready for a week in the mountains. And a lack of fitness can also lead to a serious injury if you haven't prepared properly. Harley Street Orthopaedic Surgeon SIMON MOYES begins a new series of health tips on how to get in shape for skiing. In future issues he will also give advice on what to do if you are unlucky enough to injure yourself.
Do Push Ups to Build Muscle Mass and Boost Metabolism
By: Rick West | 21/01/2008 | Men's Health
Do Push Ups To Build Muscle Mass And Boost Metabolism
Nordic Walking: Enhance your Walking Experience & Maximize your Workout
By: Lori Clinch | 26/08/2006 | Fitness
If you could combine something fun, easy, affordable and invigorating that could possibly.... WITHOUT much more exertion than regular walking.....would you be willing to investigate a little of your time to discover what this is?
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Aerobics Articles
Snorkeling With the Whole Family
By: indiansprt | 18/08/2008
Many snorkel parks have rest rooms, restaurants, gift shops and anything else a vacationing family can want or need. You can usually purchase a nice water proof identification card for the local fish species at the gift shop. This can make your day of snorkeling even more fun. You can mark the species as you see them, or see who spots the most species of sea animals. Notice how this turns into fun and educational
How to Pick Nfl Winning Teams
By: Gen Wright | 18/08/2008
Professional football league matches are always exciting to watch. But it's even more fun if you know how to guess which NFL teams are going to win.
There’s a Sport for Everyone,traditional Individual Sports
By: shilpa | 13/08/2008
Sports offer a multitude of benefits to people of all ages and all walks of life. Playing sports not only improves cardiovascular health and prevents weight gain, but also helps people make friends, develop a sense of competition, and reduce stress.
For people who prefer to spend time alone or in small groups, or who can’t commit to the regular game schedule of a competitive team, individual sports are a good option. Speed walking, jogging, and running are traditional standbys.
Say in a Unique Way That You Admire
By: Totally Gifts | 09/08/2008
To express your love and admiration towards a person in an exceptional way consider the unusual gifts. The unusual gifts are rare to find and are of great significance.
President: China to Honor Commitment and Host High-level Olympics
By: jackyluo | 06/08/2008
Chinese President Hu Jintao said here on Monday that the Chinese government and people would honor their commitment of hosting a high-level Olympic Games with distinguishing features in Beijing.
Have Fun Sculpting Your Body While Doing Cardio
By: David Taggart | 05/08/2008
Many times people who are trying to lose weight lose motivation because they simply do not enjoy exercising. In this article I will describe how to start having fun while losing weight.
Djokovic Snaps Nadal's Win Streak
By: jackyluo | 05/08/2008
Novak Djokovic handed number one in waiting Rafael Nadal his first defeat in nearly three months, stunning Spaniard 6-1, 7-5 to reach the final of the Cincinnati Masters.
Why Cardio, Aerobics, & Spinning Suck For Fat Loss
By: Craig Ballantyne | 29/07/2008
If you want to lose fat, you don't have to do a lot of cardio, spinning, or aerobics classes. These aren't the best ways to lose weight. In fact, they have a dark side to each...
More from Nina Redza
Generate Traffic To Your Site The Effective Way - Part 2
By: Nina Redza | 27/06/2008 | Internet Marketing
There are 6 ways that you can try to get prospective buyers even if you are a newbie and have little or no experience in making money online. The online ways that I have listed below are free and some are actually quite fun to do as you will get to interact with different types of people that may someday join venture with you to promote each other's products and generate more traffic.
Generate Traffic To Your Site The Effective Way - Part 1
By: Nina Redza | 27/06/2008 | Viral Marketing
If you are new to internet marketing, or a newbie, you may find the hardest part about the whole process is not about finding the right niche market (there are countless), it's not about creating a website (many sites sell you ready made websites, sort of plug and play) and it's not about how to write a killer sales page. It's about the heart of any business: traffic generation.
Reshaping Your Body And Burning Fat By Strength Training: Part 2
By: Nina Redza | 11/06/2008 | Muscle Building
Strength training does not only build muscles and strength. It also helps lose fat by increasing the body's resting metabolic rate (RMR) for 48 hours. Many people don't understand this and swear by aerobics or cardio training as the main activity for increasing the metabolism and losing fat.
Reshaping Your Body And Burning Fat By Strength Training: Part 1
By: Nina Redza | 11/06/2008 | Muscle Building
What exactly is strength training? According to Wikipedia, it is "the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles". Basically, it means that when you lift weight, your muscles will get stronger and grow in size. How much they grow depends on a number of factors.
10 Sure Fire Ways To Look Like The Pillsbury Doughboy In 30 Days
By: Nina Redza | 05/06/2008 | Nutrition
Everyone talks about how to lose weight, how to lose fat, how to gain muscle. Let's look at what we need to do to gain fat in 30 days. Here you will find 10 easy ways to increase your girth in the shortest period of time.
Is Carb Rotation Diet Right For You?
By: Nina Redza | 30/05/2008 | Nutrition
What exactly is Carb Rotation Diet? This diet is developed by a registered dietitian and personal trainer named Jayson Hunter who has helped hundreds develop healthy eating habits in the span of 10 years. Hunter claims to be able to make you lose 2lbs a week if you follow this program for 30 days and some have even managed to lose 15 lbs.
10 Reasons Why High Intensity Training Is Superior
By: Nina Redza | 26/05/2008 | Health
Much has been written about the benefits of steady state training, which is training at a constant state for 30-60 minutes. Research now has shown that it may be detrimental to health in the long run. There is another option called high intensity training which is more effective for fat loss.
Can You Survive In An Online Business?
By: Nina Redza | 25/05/2008 | Business Opportunities
The most successful businesses today will likely have a website to support them. This is the best way to reach potential customers from the other side of the world and probably the fastest way without spending much money on marketing. There is no need to have a salesperson manning your online store, just a dedicated group to handle the support system that accompanies a good business.
Sports and Fitness 
