Aerobic exercise, also known as “cardio”, is a moderate-intensity physical activity that requires pumping blood by the heart to work your muscles.
The word “Aerobic” means “with oxygen”, which means you know you are doing an aerobic exercise when your heart starts beating faster, and your breathing rate increases.
For further knowledge, we are going to provide answers to the most common questions about aerobic exercises. What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises? Is aerobic good for you? What are the benefits of aerobic exercise? Plus, we will introduce you to some examples of aerobic exercises.
What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises?
As we mentioned before, aerobic exercise is a moderate-intensity exercise that you sustain for some time. It works on pumping blood by your heart to deliver oxygen to your muscles. It is usually a fast rhythm exercise; you need to breathe well during practice.
Anaerobic exercise is a high-intensity exercise; these exercises are usually of short length. The idea is to release a lot of energy within a short period, and your oxygen demand surpasses the oxygen supply.
Aerobic and anaerobic exercises are very similar; in fact, aerobic exercises can become anaerobic exercises with some changes. For example, you could walk briskly at 3.5 miles per hour and feel warm and slightly out of breath, and this is an aerobic exercise, or you could walk very briskly at 4.5 miles per hour and feel very out of breath, and this is an anaerobic exercise.
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are essential to building a perfect workout program, so it is always better to ask for your personal trainer’s help when setting your training program.
What are the benefits of aerobic exercises?
To know the benefits of aerobic exercise, we need to understand how our body works during aerobic workouts.
Studies showed that elite athletes could have stroke volumes more than twice as high as average people.
“Great! But what does that mean?”
More significant stroke volumes mean the heart doesn’t have to pump too fast. If your heart as a muscle was not appropriately trained, pumping blood to your muscles becomes harder. So high stroke volumes are why athletes don’t get tired quickly during practice.
The heart as a muscle grows and gets bigger and stronger when you train it. That means more blood gets to your muscles with each pump, helping you build a healthier body.
When it comes to your muscles, it is much better when your muscles could consume more oxygen. In other words, you are more fit when your muscles can consume and benefit from the oxygen your blood is carrying.
When it comes to your cells, Mitochondria are the powerhouse of your cells; they do all the hard work that keeps you moving. They use the oxygen to burn the fat and carbs that make you go. And they become more active when you practice.
Fat and carbs are our muscles’ fuels. Both fat and carbs contain calories, so you need to burn both of them to get more energy.
To burn fat, you need more oxygen, but your body can better use oxygen and burn fat when you do regular aerobic exercise.
Basically, aerobic exercise makes your body stronger and reduces the risk of heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, and strokes. It also helps you control your blood pressure, activates immune systems, reduces fatigue during exercise, and strengthens your heart as well as boosting your mood.
Examples of aerobic exercises:
Aerobic exercises are so various, but here are some examples that you can do inside and outside the gym:
- Recreation center or gym classes, exercise videos.
- Stationary or outdoor biking.
- Hiking.
- Swimming.
- Walking.
- Running.
- Jogging.
- Walking or jogging on a treadmill.
- Dancing.
- Zumba.
- Aerobic dance classes.
- Aerobic step classes.
- Low-Impact Aerobics.
- High-Impact Aerobics.
- Interval training.
- Cross-Country Skiing.
- Yoga.
Aerobic exercise can benefit almost anyone. But get your doctor’s approval if you’ve been inactive for a long time or live with a chronic condition. If you’re new to aerobic exercise, it’s essential to start slowly and work up gradually to reduce your risk of an injury.
Remember, sport is always beneficial, but it is best to get professional help to avoid injuries and get good results.
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