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Aerobic training not only enhances your cardio vascular fitness but it is a key component of weight loss and stress management. Aerobics is a key part of healthy living. It can help you lose weight, build strength and endurance, and will improve your overall health. Aerobic exercise doesn't have to be mysterious - join us as we lift the veil and help you make the most of aerobics!
Kids exercise all the time without even thinking of it. Just being active, like when you run around outside or play kickball at school, is a kind of exercise. What else counts as exercise? Playing sports, dancing, doing push-ups, and even reaching down to touch your toes.
When you exercise, you're helping build a strong body that will be able to move around and do all the stuff you need it to do. Try to be active every day and your body will thank you later!
You may know that your heart is a muscle. It works hard, pumping blood every day of your life. You can help this important muscle get stronger by doing aerobic (say: air-o-bik) exercise.
Aerobic means "with air," so aerobic exercise is a kind of activity that requires oxygen. When you breathe, you take in oxygen, and, if you're doing aerobic exercise, you may notice you're breathing faster than normal. Aerobic activity can get your heart pumping, make you sweaty, and quicken your breathing.
When your give your heart this kind of workout on a regular basis, your heart will get even better at its main job - delivering oxygen (in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.
So, where do we start?
Most experts agree that 3 to 5 aerobic sessions per week for a duration of at least 20 minutes at 60 to 85 percent of your age-specific maximum heart rate is a good place to start. Beginning exercisers would start lower in their target zone. Advanced exercisers will exercise at the higher end of their target zone.
What is aerobics?
Aerobic exercise is any activity requiring oxygen that uses large muscle groups, is rhythmic in nature, and can be maintained for a period of time. Done consistently, aerobic activity trains the heart, lungs, and cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen in a more efficient manner. Therefore, an aerobically fit person can work longer and harder during an exercise session than someone who is not. And the aerobically fit person will also have a much faster recovery time. Whether your goal is weight loss or higher fitness, the longer the duration of your exercise, the more calories you will burn. You should check with your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program. If you are overweight or out of shape, start with 10 to 20 minutes and move up. Also, keep track of your heart rate.
To keep your heart rate in your target zone, follow this simple equation:
MHR (maximum heart rate) = 220 - (your age)
Target Heart Rate Zone = MHR x .60 to MHR x .85
Example-age 40
220-40 = 180
180 x .60 = 108 (low end target zone)
180 x .85 = 153 (high end target zone)
To measure your heart rate: take your pulse for a 10-second count and multiply the number of beats times 6.
To keep things more interesting, mix your workouts up a little. One day take a 30-minute walk during your lunch hour, and the next day visit a gym with a friend and try out an aerobics class or a stairclimber.
So you want to do some aerobic exercise right now? Try swimming, Jogging, running Walking, hiking, Cycling, Dancing, Kick-boxing,
Roller-blading, Cross-country skiing, Stair climbing, Elliptical cross-training, basketball, ice or roller hockey, in-line skating, soccer, or rowing. And don't forget that skipping, jumping rope, and playing hopscotch are aerobic activities, too!
While some might enjoy shooting a round of hoops with the kids or even an hour of running on the treadmill, others find it all too challenging. Well, it is challenging. Anytime change is desired, work is required. Whether our challenge is getting an unfit body fit, or getting a fit body fitter, the benefits far outweigh the challenge. How we think about exercise will determine how faithful we are to do it. Understanding the value of exercise can positively affect our attitude toward it. While for some, exercise may never be fun, with the right attitude it most certainly is doable and can even become enjoyable.
A consistent aerobic workout, coupled with weight training and healthy eating, will get us to our goals.
Arobic exercise can make you smarter. In his book, The Aerobics Program for Total Well-Being , Kenneth Cooper states that aerobic exercise can improve your intellectual capacity and increase your productivity. He conducted a study at Maxwell Air Force Base on a young group of lieutenants and found some interesting correlations. He found that those who performed best on a 12-minute aerobic endurance test, those who had the greatest endurance capacity, also made the best grades. Even brisk walking 3 times a week for 45 minutes improves circulation and supplies more oxygen to the brain. More oxygen to the brain means an "increased ability to think and reason."
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