What is Aerobic Exercises - Benefits & Types

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December 23, 2021

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Also known as cardio, aerobic exercise is among the top physical workouts that people love to do at both gym and home. If you have ever been to a gym, you would have seen people running on the treadmill and sweating off vigorously. That is an aerobic exercise. The same goes for activities like swimming, running, cycling, and so on. All these come under aerobic workout.

If you wish to start your fitness journey, we would highly recommend you to try this, and have also prepared a small guide wherein you learn what exactly aerobic exercises are, its types, benefits, and much more. So keep reading till the end!

What is Aerobic Exercise?

So far, we have just given you examples of aerobic exercise. Now here is the question – what is the common thing among them all? Sweating? Heavy breaths? Heart Pumping? You guessed right!

Aerobic exercise is actually a set of physical activities that uses your large muscles groups and makes you sweat, breathe harder, and gets your heart beating faster. All this improves the pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart and hence delivers oxygen more quickly and efficiently throughout your body. It is also known as cardiovascular activity as it boosts your cardiovascular health.

Experts recommend that one should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic workout or about 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week. If you wish to start a workout at home, then such exercises are great.

Types of Aerobic Exercise

Now that we know about the basic meaning of aerobic exercises, it’s time to learn about their types. Based on difficulty and impact, there are two types of aerobic exercises. These are:

Low-Impact Aerobic Workout:

As the name suggests, these can elevate your heart rate without you pushing yourself too much. Low-impact aerobic exercise is best for beginners and moderate-level exercises. In this type, one foot is always at the ground.

It is also preferable for those with back pain. Here is the list of aerobic exercise that comes under this type:

Brisk walking
Stationary bicycling
Swimming
Elliptical
Pilates

High-Impact Aerobic Workout:

Cardio exercises wherein you have to perform difficult activities come under high-impact aerobic workout. These are ideal for people who are fitness experts. These exercises require a lot of strength as they involve a lot of jumping and balancing. If you have any back problems or suffer from arthritis, stick to low-impact exercisers.

Here is the list of aerobic exercise that come under this type:

Boot camp
Kickbox
Jumping Jacks
Racquetball
Burpees

Based on your fitness level, you can pick the best aerobic exercise. If you are not sure about it, consult your fitness trainer. They can suggest and even prepare a workout plan for you.

8 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Before you start any aerobic exercise at home or at the gym, it’s best to learn about its benefits. This helps you in getting motivation to stick to your workout and enjoy amazing health benefits. Below we have jotted down a few. Take a look!

Improves Cardiovascular health: Talk to any health expert and they will suggest you to consider aerobic exercise to boost your cardiovascular health. Why? Well, such physical activities strengthen your heart and also helps it in pumping blood throughout the body. Cardiovascular exercises also lower your cholesterol to give you a healthy heart.
Helps in Weight Loss: Those who wish to shed some extra kgs can also try aerobic exercise for weight loss at home. The best ones are running, swimming, jumping jacks, and so on. When you try aerobic exercise for weight loss, you burn calories faster and hence lose the fat too. Combine it with a good diet and healthy lifestyle and you can lose weight faster.
Lowers Blood Pressure: If you just don’t want to rely on medications to reduce your blood pressure, try aerobic exercise. It can also help in alleviating and controlling the symptoms of high blood pressure.
Helps in Quality Sleep: Those who have trouble in falling asleep can also try aerobic exercise at home. It is seen that people who perform aerobic workouts in the day tend to have a better and relaxing sleep.
Strengthens Immune System: Some studies show that performing aerobic exercises increase certain antibodies that ultimately result in a stronger immune system. This way, you can also ward off viral illnesses such as cold and flu.
Reduces Pain: If you have been worried about chronic back pain, try low-impact aerobic exercises such as swimming. It can help in stretching the muscles and improving the endurance. Also, aerobic exercise for weight loss eventually takes care of the back pain due to obesity.
Boosts Energy Level and Stamina: While you may feel tired and exhausted after your aerobic workout, it can help in boosting your stamina and energy levels in the longer run. You also have a healthier heart and body that again impacts your energy and endurance.
Minimizes Stress and Anxiety: The benefits of aerobic exercise also include the reduction of mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, or depression.

Tips & Best Practices For Aerobic Exercise

No doubt that aerobic exercises are easy and can be done even at home. But that does not mean there are no precautionary measures to follow. In fact, if you do not perform the exercises using the right technique or follow the safety measures, you can do more harm than good to your health.

To be on the safer side, follow the below-listed tips:

Always do a warm-up before starting your workout as it helps in stretching the muscles and preventing any sudden injury.
When performing aerobic exercise for weight loss at home, make sure you also follow a strict diet and avoid unhealthy foods to get the best results.
Avoid performing high-intensity workouts if you are a beginner.
To find the best aerobic exercise, talk to your fitness expert or just consult a health expert online.
It is a great practice to monitor your heart rate while performing cardio so that you can check how hard you are working and when you have gone overboard.

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