Aerobic exercises and weight loss health benefits are gained through physical activities you engage in that aim to improve the circulation of oxygen in your body. As a process, aerobic exercise promotes taking in large supplies of oxygen into your body, which will result to the increase in size and number of blood vessels. Scientifically, this is known as the cardiovascular density.
As the heart gains in cardiovascular density, aerobic exercises will prod the heart and the circulatory system to meet the demands of certain activities at an easy pace. This now will cause the body to adapt to certain changes from which we can gain several health benefits.
Among the medically recognized benefits are:
- The rhythmic flow of air in and out of the lungs will strengthen the respiratory muscles.
- As blood vessels increase, the pumping ability of the heart becomes more efficient because aerobic conditioning will lessen the resting heart rate. In the process, heart muscles strengthen and expand.
- As the heart muscles and pace improve, improved blood circulation will also take place. Improved blood circulation will result to more red blood cells and more red blood cells, now means more oxygen carriers.
- More blood and more oxygen in the body, will improve the performance of the central nervous system; resulting to stress reduction and promotion of good mental health that will eliminate the occurrence of depression.
There are several types of aerobic exercises and they can be described as low, moderate, and vigorous in intensity in relation to physical activities. Most aerobic exercises will start at low intensity then will gradually increase into moderate intensity levels. Depending on the person’s physiology, determination, and health condition, moderate intensity aerobic exercises graduate to vigorous activities, where a larger capacity and ability to breathe in air are required.
Some examples of moderate physical activities include brisk walking, lawn mowing with a motorized mower, swimming, and biking on level terrain.
Vigorous aerobic exercises include jogging, lawn mowing without the use of motorized mower, high impact aerobic dancing, continuous swimming laps, uphill biking, standing, or walking with more than 50 lbs. and carrying 25 lbs up and down a flight of stairs.
If you are seriously considering burning a large percentage of your body fat, you should have enough motivation to perform frequently in as much as fat cells are burned only during workouts. Frequently, in aerobic exercises would mean short periods daily or at intervals but for longer periods in each session.
In order to realize the best results in aerobic exercises, each activity should begin and close with a 10-minute warm-up for the beginning and 10 minute cooling down at the end.
Although medical consultation is required from people with heart disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, anxiety syndromes, these same people will benefit largely in properly supervised aerobic programs.