The beginning of the year is the perfect time to make changes to your lifestyle in order to stay fit and healthy throughout the year. No matter how lazy you have been or how much weight you carry around your waist, it’s time to get out and get moving! A recent recommendation from the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine suggested that you should complete a minimum of 30-minutes of intense exercise every five days in a week or opt for a 20-minute high intensity exercise every three days a week. This will not only keep you healthy but also reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
To obtain maximum benefit, you should include both aerobic and anaerobic exercises in your daily routine. While anaerobic is a more intense training method that triggers lactate formation and promotes strengths and power, aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, is a physical exercise that requires oxygen to meet your energy demands. Jogging, walking, cycling or swimming at a steady pace are good examples of aerobic exercise.
Cardiovascular training is a part of aerobics exercise. Regular cardio training will benefit you in the following ways:
- Maximise the amount of blood flow to your muscles and lungs.
- Widen capillaries and allow more oxygen to travel to your muscles and thereby push waste products back to your lungs.
- Release endorphins, the feel good hormone.
Now that we know how cardio training can help us, let’s take a look at the other benefits of aerobic exercise:
Controls weight
If you are worried about the excess pounds, then get moving! Don’t think twice about it and start off with your workout straightaway to keep the extra baggage at bay. A regular 30 minutes of moderate exercise routine can not only help you burn those extra calories but it can also keep you fit and healthy.
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Improves heart health
Your regular aerobic exercise will strengthen your heart, keep your arteries clean and increase your stamina. Even a moderate 30 minutes workout will make you fitter and make your day-to-day activities easier to carry out. It will also help you in walking, jogging or swimming at a specified speed without feeling low on energy.
Reduces health risks
In case you are feeling sluggish and unhealthy, it might be due to your sedentary lifestyle. Studies have shown that regular aerobics workout reduces health risks and even manages chronic conditions like blood pressure and lowers your blood sugar level. You will also stay active and independent as you age, as regular exercise is known to keep your muscles strong. Studies have also revealed that people who exercise regularly have a longer life span than those with sedentary lifestyle. Weight bearing aerobic exercises also reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Boosts your mood
Aerobics can help you to relax and ward off your tension related to anxiety. Regular exercise can help individuals to emerge from a cloud of depression.
Initially, taking the first steps might seem daunting, but you don’t need to rush. You can start slow. Don’t walk before you can crawl. Up the pace and walk an extra mile every day. You don’t need to stick to one particular type of exercise daily. If you enjoy aerobic dancing or swimming, go for it. Cross country skiing or bicycling, jogging, elliptical training or rowing are some more options you can choose from. Mixing it up will ensure you don’t get bored while keeping your weight management under control. Being committed to something will help you, so join a team or a gym with classes where you can go regularly and be motivated by other people’s energy and high spirits.
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