As the name suggests, aerobic exercise is any form of exercise that promotes the circulation of oxygen throughout the body. This will help your heart work faster and thus makes you breathe faster. The best part of aerobic exercise is – you can perform it anywhere – be it your living room, your bedroom, etc. Many different types of exercise are considered to be aerobic.

As per American Heart Association, is it expected to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes at least 5 to 7 days a week. This can be further broken down into 10 minute periods. This can help minimum guidelines set for reducing cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure risk. You can also burn calories if you plan to do aerobic exercise for straight 30 minutes. Do not forget to warm up properly, cool down, and stretch in your aerobic exercise session.

A few examples of aerobic exercise are swimming, cycling, walking, rowing, etc. These are low-impact aerobic exercises. A high-impact exercise includes running, jumping rope or steps aerobics. Each one provides health benefits. Let’s understand these benefits in detail:

1. Helps Maintain Healthy Weight

Aerobic exercises help to burn calories. Regularly following even 30 minutes of low to moderate intensity workouts can lead to losing out excess weight or may even help maintain an ideal weight.

2: Improves cardiorespiratory fitness

If you are regularly following aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, it can help improve the capacity to use oxygen. This happens when the heart’s capacity to transfer blood (oxygen) to the muscles. This happens gradually through an increase in the size of the heart’s pumping chambers which allows them to send the same amount of blood without the need to pump fast. As you get used to the intensity of exercise, it becomes easier and can also undertake an activity for longer.

3. Improves Mood

Exercise can lead to the release of happy hormones, which we all are aware of now. Moving your body even sometimes can help improve your mood. This is being confirmed by one of the studies where individuals who were suffering from depression were asked to do 30 minutes of daily aerobic exercise which included walking on a treadmill. All individuals reported a significant reduction in their stress levels and symptoms of depression.

Did you know that aerobic exercise is considered the safest sport for individuals of all ages? This is because aerobic training offers a structured and focused approach to exercise, targeting multiple muscles in the body. By engaging in aerobic activities, you can improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen various muscle groups, and enhance overall health and well-being.

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, MD

4. Improves Heart Health:

Aerobic exercises help improve the efficiency of the heart to pump the blood to muscles and thus it is strongly recommended by the American Heart Association to regularly follow aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, etc. For this, aerobic exercise is also referred to as cardiovascular exercise. They can also help lower cholesterol levels and help raise the ‘good’ cholesterol levels in the body. This can also help control blood pressure levels.

5. Better Stamina:

Regularly performing aerobic exercises does have a positive impact on the heart and lungs, which can help improve stamina and endurance. You may begin any of the aerobic exercises and gradually increase the frequency and intensity of the exercise till you reach the peak. Then more moderate-intensity exercise and this way keep working on your stamina.

6. Wards off viral infection

Aerobic exercise activates your immune system in a good way. This may leave you less susceptible to viral illnesses, such as the common cold, the flu and other chronic diseases. Aerobic exercises are high-intensity cardio activities that promote a healthy immune system, keeping diseases at bay.

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7. Keeps arteries clear and free from blockage

Aerobic exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good,” cholesterol, and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad,” cholesterol. This may result in less buildup of plaques in your arteries, thus keeping them free of blockages.

Based on my experience, I have observed that incorporating aerobic exercise into your routine can provide various benefits to your body, including improved joint flexibility. When you engage in aerobic activities such as jogging, cycling, or dancing, it promotes movement and range of motion in your joints. This can help enhance flexibility, reduce stiffness, and support joint health when done regularly.

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

8. Helps Maintain A Good Quality of Life

Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Exercise can also lower the risk of falls and injuries from falls in older adults. It can improve your quality of life by helping you stay active and energetic all day long.

Apart from all these benefits, regularly attending aerobic classes can help you make more friends. For example – Going for a walk together, joining a swimming class, playing tennis or badminton. It’s the most effective way of ensuring that you do it regularly.

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