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The power of aerobic exercise.
The word Aerobic means “with oxygen” and with what we have discussed previously, now we know how important oxygen is. Now how to we translate this into an activity, doesn’t we use oxygen in all activities? Yes, we do but being aerobic means you are not striving for oxygen when moving. A simple test if you are doing thing aerobically or not is when you can still maintain a conversation and not run out of air while doing something.
Aerobics had been a worldwide phenomenon since the 80s, and most of the world knows about it. For the uninitiated, Dr. Kenneth Cooper (its developer) submitted the official definition to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Accordingly, aerobics is also defined as “a method of physical exercise for producing beneficial changes in the respiratory and circulatory systems by activities which require meeting a modest increase of oxygen intake and so can be maintained.” Because of today’s many new illnesses (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular conditions) brought about by modern man’s generally inactive physical lifestyle, experts strongly recommend aerobics for everyone.
Another common definition of aerobics is simply the activity that consists of low-intensity
repetitive motions of mostly the large muscles of the arms and legs for a period of time. This activity increases breathing and heart rate. Most low-intensity activities you do during the day also fall under this category. It includes such regular activities as walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling. For individuals who are beginners in exercise programs, or maybe have histories of health conditions, light exercise routines are recommended at first on most days of the week.
Aerobic exercises produce cardiovascular benefits according to experts. They advise
that these aerobic exercises have to be performed at moderate intensity. This level of activity is safe for almost everyone, and it still provides the desired health benefits. Recent research brings in additional good news. It is revealed that aerobics performers can still have cardiovascular benefits even if the exercise routine (usually 30 minutes total) is broken into three or four 8-10 minute segments, as long as they are of the same intensity.
As had been proven these years, people who engaged in regular aerobics have been known to benefit by way of lower blood cholesterol counts, lower blood pressure, toned body because of fat reduction and beneficial weight loss. They have been known to have developed muscular and overall body endurance, have a happier disposition and moods, and a medically-certified general lower risk to cardiovascular diseases.
The Benefits:
1. Reduces the risk of heart diseases – during aerobics, our body places itself into a fat burning state. It’s does this by speeding up the heartbeat to maximize the flow of blood and oxygen to our entire body. It has been documented that non-aerobic people has twice the tendency to develop a heart disease compare to those who are regularly doing aerobics.
2. Reduces the risk of cancer – one out of six athletes gets cancer yet the rate of those people who do not engage in any form of exercise has a higher tendency to have cancer. Again, it’s the lack of oxygen, athletes tend to breath more oxygen often compared to ordinary people. Aerobics is a form of exercises that increases a persons breathing rate.
3. Improves sleep – aerobic exercise practices your nose, sinus and lungs to breath effortlessly making sleeping more soundly and peaceful. If you take notice of people who normally snore, they are having a hard time breathing with their nose which forces them to breathe through their mouths.
4. Improves self image – during aerobics, as fat is continuously being burnt, your figure forms. Proper curves appear, posture improves, confidence increases and you face each day without fear or anxiety that some disease or illness would take you down. Image how stress free your life would be having that kind of thinking.
5. Mental sharpness – again, increase in oxygen intake, less stress in the oxygen intake and increase in blood causes a person to think more clearly and stay focused.