Aerobic exercise is beneficial for all, regardless of weight, age or workload. It is the physical activity that benefits all of your body functions and their related organs as well. You will get motivation while increasing your knowledge about the amazing effects of aerobic exercises on your brain, heart, lungs and muscles. So get ready to start aerobic exercise as your regular physical activity for getting a healthier and stronger body. Additionally, the people who make it a habit are at lower risk of depression and decline of mental health. These exercises have surprisingly advantageous impacts on physical and mental health of teens and children.
Introduction to Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercises are also known as “cardio” referring to cardiovascular exercises that means these exercises include those physical activities or workouts that involve stretching of muscles located in different organs of the body like Heart muscles, Skeletal muscles or Gastric muscles. Aerobic exercise includes all such physical activities that involve your large body muscles in a rhythmic and repetitive manner therefore the demand of oxygen increases during aerobic exercise resulting increased heart rate. This exercise benefits you by limiting the risk factors of high cholesterol, heart diseases and high blood pressure.
Definition and Characteristics of Aerobic Exercise: The term aerobic means “using oxygen”and aerobic exercise is the physical activity in which your breathing rate is increased due to the excessive use of oxygen by body muscles, walking, running, swimming are examples of aerobic exercise. During aerobic exercise your heart rate also increases due to the high intensity workout with energy burn in the form of glucose bonds breakage because your body needs energy to move your muscles as rhythmic and repetitive exercise but when you practice some exercise that doesn’t use oxygen, known as anaerobic exercise that means “without oxygen”, weight lifting is its example.
Examples of Aerobic Activities: There are some examples of Aerobic Exercise;
Cycling: It is the best indoor and outdoor physical activity referring to aerobic exercise. Yes, you can use a stationary bicycle for cycling or may ride on a route with more hills or inclines. It is an effective exercise for strengthening your limb muscles and to avoid joint pains. People with arthritis may practice this exercise to get rid of arthritis pain. It is beneficial for ankles, hips and back for avoiding stress on these body parts which may be exerted in case of walking.
- Cardio Activities: It includes the light exercises or equipped exercise to increase your heart rate to enhance the supply of oxygen to body cells. By using a treadmill, rowing machine or an elliptical, you can practice these exercise but these machines require large space so you can do these exercises at the gym but don’t forget to consult your healthcare provider to select the best cardio for your body according to your body’s needs.
- Jogging: It is the most easily performed exercise which you can match with your fitness level. Jogging is faster than walking but slower than running therefore most of the people prefer it to running. This exercise doesn’t need any special equipment except a pair of athletic shoes to save your ankles from pressure during jogging. You can practice this activity indoors as well as outdoors.
- Swimming: Another example of aerobic exercise is swimming, it is a low intensity workout to move your legs and arms muscles. Water buoyancy lessens the stress on your joints to make swimming feasible but before planning for water aerobics the supervision of a lifeguard is necessary.
Physical Health Benefits
People with normal physical health or with risk factors of heart disease are generally recommended to practice aerobic exercise by the doctors and healthcare provider because aerobic exercise is the tool to strengthen your heart muscles and to enhance its pumping ability. Cardiovascular activities also ensure the management of your blood pressure, blood sugar level and blood cholesterol level.
Strengthening the Heart Muscle: Regular aerobic exercise minimizes the risk factors of coronary heart diseases by strengthening your heart muscles. It also enhances the efficiency of the heart’s pumping system for better blood and oxygen supply to your lungs and other body parts. If you don’t involve your muscles in aerobic exercise the plaque narrows the blood arteries and causes their rupturing. Sometimes the plaque converts into a massive clot that completely blocks the flow of blood and results in Heart Attack. So by practicing aerobic exercises you may reduce the risk factors of heart failure or cardiovascular damages.
Lowering Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Levels: Low intensity regular aerobic exercise regulates the blood pressure and cholesterol level in your body. Blood pressure crosses the optimum range during the period of mental stress or due the clotting in blood vessels. The narrowing of arteries may fluctuate the pressure of flowing blood in arteries or veins. Aerobic exercise forces the heart to work more efficiently to increase the oxygen supply and this oxygen empowers the cardiac muscles to pump blood with a moderate flow. This exercise also removes stress to maintain blood pressure. Aerobic exercise breaks the cholesterol plaques found in arteries to make the blood flow easy.
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Weight Management
It is a common thought prevailing in our minds that dieting and exercise can lower the risk factors of gaining weight but you don’t know the power of aerobic exercise in this regard. We will tell you an amazing influential benefit of aerobic activity that alone can manage your weight.
Burning Calories and Losing Weight: An experiment is performed in which 100 participants don’t change their diet routine but include some intensive aerobic exercises in their daily routine by using treadmill or cardio equipment. They jogged, walked briskly and ran as aerobic activity for three months on a regular basis and the other group of 100 people did not do any exercise for the same duration. The results show that the people with regular physical activity have a prominent weight loss as compared to people with a sedentary lifestyle. Hence it is proved that aerobic exercise helps in burning calories and weight loss.
Boosting Metabolism: Physical activity like aerobic exercise has a great impact on metabolism because during physical activity your metabolism rate increases due to high energy requirements. This increase in metabolism boosts a great energy level in your body which is utilized by your body systems.
Enhanced Respiratory Function
Aerobic exercise improves the mechanical power of lungs to fulfill the excessive ventilatory demands of the body during exercise. It can be well understood by this fact that your body uses more oxygen while you breath during exercise as compared to breathing during rest mode. To fulfill this increased oxygen demands your lungs work more to save you from fatigue.
Strengthening the Lungs: It is a proven fact that during exercise your heart and lungs muscles work hard to fulfill the needs of oxygen in your body muscles. Thus strenuous workout makes the lungs and heart stronger and their muscles got more flexible and strengthened. It also clears sputum from lungs for better functioning.
Increased Lung Capacity: Pulmonary function is improved due to bronchial dilation during aerobic exercise. It strengthens the lungs muscles and overcomes the respiratory resistance of airways through the respiratory tract.
Better Immune Function
There is a significant difference in the health of active people and people with sedentary lifestyles. A university in the USA performed an experiment to evaluate the immune strength of these two groups. They observed that people who were involved in aerobic exercise on a regular basis for 20 to 30 minutes a day have stronger immune systems than the people who use to spend an inactive and sedentary life.
Reducing the Risk of Chronic Diseases: Research has shown that aerobic exercise is a way to produce some special antibodies in your body called immunoglobulins to strengthen your immune system. These protective antibodies minimize the production of cortisol, a depression causing agent. The people with sedentary lifestyle have weak immunity and are more likely to get ill and have higher chances to be caught by fatal diseases.
Strengthening the Immune System: Moderate or mild type aerobic exercises are the best choice to get a stronger immunity against diseases and infections. You just need a vigorous physical workout for 30 minutes to bring your immunity to a safe level but avoid high intensity training because this type of exercise will harm your immunity by suppressing your immune system.
Mental Health Benefits
Aerobic exercise is useful for both physical and mental health. These exercises play a vital role in enhancing cognitive abilities and improves brain functioning by the growth of new neurons. These may help in the betterment of your memory and concentration.
Stress Reduction
Aerobic exercise helps you to overcome the sadness and lethargy of mood. It induces an energy in your mood and reduces stress by producing mood enhancing hormones. By practicing the exercise you will feel a sense of personal satisfaction and self confidence which leads you towards feelings of accomplishment and self-esteem.
Releasing Endorphins: Exercise boosts your brain cells to secrete a hormone Endorphin, to regulate your mood by inducing feelings of happiness and Euphoria. This will act as a mood enhancer by regulating blood flow towards the brain. This will also reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Improving Sleep Quality: Aerobic exercise is an effective tool to get rid of insomnia. Physical activity improves your sleep quality by eliminating negative and depressive thoughts from your mind.
Increased Energy Levels
Aerobic exercise increases the production of cellular mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell. These mitochondria help to increase the overall energy level of the body and minimize the fatigue causing factors.
Combating Fatigue: Aerobic exercise boosts the energy levels in the body by strengthening the heart and lungs because these two organs work mutually to make the oxygen supply sufficient in the body. Low oxygen level causes fatigue, laziness and lethargy but frequent and excessive availability of oxygen empowers the functions of all body organs and reduces fatigue.
Boosting Overall Energy and Vitality: It enhances the blood flow and delivery of oxygen to promote energy production in the body. Cellular respiratory organelles are supported by aerobic exercise and they play a vital role in regulating the overall energy level of the body to live a healthier life.
Conclusion
It is concluded from all above discussion that aerobic exercise is necessary to have a healthy life. It is not only beneficial to your body but your brain also has support in the form of energy boosters during physical activity. Aerobic exercise helps your heart, lungs and brain to function properly. It enhances your immunity by circulation of immune cells to avoid infections. It also plays a role to maintain your body temperature, to sustain your energy levels and to release stress from your life. You get improvements in your sleep pattern through this practice which makes you better in performing tasks involving cognitive functions. This exercise prepares your body systems to fight with pathogens to save you from inflammation.
Embracing Aerobic Exercise for Overall Well-being: Aerobic exercise is the most suitable exercise for most people and it has no side effects but you should talk to your doctor before starting a new aerobic exercise routine because the doctor may suggest to you the type of exercise which benefits you physically and mentally but it is a reality that aerobic exercise is easily accessible, needs no fancy equipment, costs nothing and is easy to adopt.
Staying Consistent and Continuing Your Journey: Whenever you want to start a routine of aerobic exercise, take first step with the workout of 20 to 30 minutes daily for five days a week and gradually increase the time of cardiovascular exercises. Movement of muscles with excessive oxygen will be more beneficial for building and strengthening your body. It will be advantageous to your mental health as well but the main thing is to be consistent and regular. To make your exercise routine consistent, you may use some variety of workout, try new intensities and aim to achieve a goal of fitness.
