aerobics

Exercise OptionsLet's look at some of the common types of aerobic exercise. See which one is best suited for you.

Walking
Walking is one of the simplest and most available aerobic exercises. You can vary the intensity to match your fitness level. Other than walking shoes, it does not require any special equipment. You can walk almost anywhere: outdoors or indoors (malls, indoor tracks, or a treadmill). This makes walking easy to continue throughout the year. Walking is a good choice for starting their first exercise program or find other exercises too hard on their joints.


Cycling

Cycling is another type of aerobic exercise with wide appeal and value. You can use a stationary or regular bike. Cycling may be ideal for individuals who, due to arthritic or other orthopedic problems, are unable to walk for an extended period of time without pain or difficulty. A program that combines walking and cycling may provide cardiovascular benefits without inducing the limiting pain as quickly. Cycling is also a good choice for people who are greater than 50 pounds overweight. It helps the heart without the mechanical stress on the back, hips, knees and ankles that walking can cause. One drawback - if you cycle outdoors, exclusively, the weather may limit your activity.

Ski Machines, Stair Climbers, Steppers, Ellipticals


ski machine stair climber stepper elliptical

These types of machines can provide a good aerobic workout and each has its own unique strengths and drawbacks. First, exercise on these machines may be too strenuous to be enjoyable and provide optimal benefit for the beginner or person of low fitness level, even at the lowest settings. To determine if this type of machine is within your capability, give the machine of your choice a trial run at the store or fitness center.

You should be able to pass the "talk test" while exercising at a moderate pace. People with knee or hip problems should avoid stair climbers and steppers as these machines can put extra stress on these joints. Ski machines require above-average coordination to master. The advantage to the machines is that they are indoor activities that can be pursued regardless of the weather.

Swimming Activities



Swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise, but considerations should be made before starting a program. For the exercise beginner, low-fit, or non-swimmer it might be a difficult activity to maintain the appropriate intensity for the recommended 30 to 60 minutes. Also, because the focus of swimming is on the smaller upper body musculature and swimming is a less efficient activity than cycling or walking, one can easily exceed their target heart rate range with swimming. Therefore, those with heart conditions, should address a swimming program with their physician before starting. Water aerobics and water walking are good alternatives for those with joint pain. The buoyancy provided by the water eases stress on the joints.

Jogging, Aerobic Dance



These can be safe and beneficial exercise for the highly fit person. Both can be done indoors, which makes them year-round activities. Anyone with orthopedic problems or who experiences symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath should not engage in these activities.

aerobics

Exercise Options

Let's look at some of the common types of aerobic exercise. See which one is best suited for you.

Walking

Walking is one of the simplest and most available aerobic exercises. You can vary the intensity to match your fitness level. Other than walking shoes, it does not require any special equipment. You can walk almost anywhere: outdoors or indoors (malls, indoor tracks, or a treadmill). This makes walking easy to continue throughout the year. Walking is a good choice for starting their first exercise program or find other exercises too hard on their joints.

Cycling

Cycling is another type of aerobic exercise with wide appeal and value. You can use a stationary or regular bike. Cycling may be ideal for individuals who, due to arthritic or other orthopedic problems, are unable to walk for an extended period of time without pain or difficulty. A program that combines walking and cycling may provide cardiovascular benefits without inducing the limiting pain as quickly. Cycling is also a good choice for people who are greater than 50 pounds overweight. It helps the heart without the mechanical stress on the back, hips, knees and ankles that walking can cause. One drawback - if you cycle outdoors, exclusively, the weather may limit your activity.

Ski Machines, Stair Climbers, Steppers, Ellipticals

These types of machines can provide a good aerobic workout and each has its own unique strengths and drawbacks. First, exercise on these machines may be too strenuous to be enjoyable and provide optimal benefit for the beginner or person of low fitness level, even at the lowest settings. To determine if this type of machine is within your capability, give the machine of your choice a trial run at the store or fitness center.

You should be able to pass the "talk test" while exercising at a moderate pace. People with knee or hip problems should avoid stair climbers and steppers as these machines can put extra stress on these joints. Ski machines require above-average coordination to master. The advantage to the machines is that they are indoor activities that can be pursued regardless of the weather.

Swimming Activities

Swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise, but considerations should be made before starting a program. For the exercise beginner, low-fit, or non-swimmer it might be a difficult activity to maintain the appropriate intensity for the recommended 30 to 60 minutes. Also, because the focus of swimming is on the smaller upper body musculature and swimming is a less efficient activity than cycling or walking, one can easily exceed their target heart rate range with swimming. Therefore, those with heart conditions, should address a swimming program with their physician before starting. Water aerobics and water walking are good alternatives for those with joint pain. The buoyancy provided by the water eases stress on the joints.

Jogging, Aerobic Dance

These can be safe and beneficial exercise for the highly fit person. Both can be done indoors, which makes them year-round activities. Anyone with orthopedic problems or who experiences symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath should not engage in these activities.

Exercise Options

Let's look at some of the common types of aerobic exercise. See which one is best suited for you.

Walking

Walking is one of the simplest and most available aerobic exercises. You can vary the intensity to match your fitness level. Other than walking shoes, it does not require any special equipment. You can walk almost anywhere: outdoors or indoors (malls, indoor tracks, or a treadmill). This makes walking easy to continue throughout the year. Walking is a good choice for starting their first exercise program or find other exercises too hard on their joints.

Cycling

Cycling is another type of aerobic exercise with wide appeal and value. You can use a stationary or regular bike. Cycling may be ideal for individuals who, due to arthritic or other orthopedic problems, are unable to walk for an extended period of time without pain or difficulty. A program that combines walking and cycling may provide cardiovascular benefits without inducing the limiting pain as quickly. Cycling is also a good choice for people who are greater than 50 pounds overweight. It helps the heart without the mechanical stress on the back, hips, knees and ankles that walking can cause. One drawback - if you cycle outdoors, exclusively, the weather may limit your activity.

Ski Machines, Stair Climbers, Steppers, Ellipticals

These types of machines can provide a good aerobic workout and each has its own unique strengths and drawbacks. First, exercise on these machines may be too strenuous to be enjoyable and provide optimal benefit for the beginner or person of low fitness level, even at the lowest settings. To determine if this type of machine is within your capability, give the machine of your choice a trial run at the store or fitness center.

You should be able to pass the "talk test" while exercising at a moderate pace. People with knee or hip problems should avoid stair climbers and steppers as these machines can put extra stress on these joints. Ski machines require above-average coordination to master. The advantage to the machines is that they are indoor activities that can be pursued regardless of the weather.

Swimming Activities

Swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise, but considerations should be made before starting a program. For the exercise beginner, low-fit, or non-swimmer it might be a difficult activity to maintain the appropriate intensity for the recommended 30 to 60 minutes. Also, because the focus of swimming is on the smaller upper body musculature and swimming is a less efficient activity than cycling or walking, one can easily exceed their target heart rate range with swimming. Therefore, those with heart conditions, should address a swimming program with their physician before starting. Water aerobics and water walking are good alternatives for those with joint pain. The buoyancy provided by the water eases stress on the joints.

Jogging, Aerobic Dance

These can be safe and beneficial exercise for the highly fit person. Both can be done indoors, which makes them year-round activities. Anyone with orthopedic problems or who experiences symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath should not engage in these activities

forms of exercise

Forms of Aerobic Exercises
The key to successful weight control and improved overall health is making physical activity a part of your daily routine. Any type of physical activity you choose to do--strenuous activities such as running or aerobic dancing or moderate-intensity activities such as walking or household work--will increase the number of calories your body uses. It's easier than one thinks to perform numerous aerobic activities throughout the day.

Examples of mild to moderate aerobic activities:
Take a short walk around the block
Rake leaves
Play actively with the kids
Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator
Mow the lawn
Take an activity break--get up and stretch or walk around
Park your car a little farther away from your destination
Examples of higher intensity aerobic activities:
Brisk walking
Jogging
Bicycling
Swimming
Aerobic dancing
Racket sports
Rowing
Ice or roller-skating
Cross-country or downhill skiing
Using aerobic equipment (i.e., treadmill, stationary bike)

Aerobic activity is often coined either High Impact or Low Impact. The basic difference is that one foot always stays on the floor and supports the weight of the body in low-impact aerobics. High-impact aerobics include actions that take both feet off the floor, thus causing more jarring of the joints when the body weight hits the floor again. An example of Low Impact is walking while High Impact is jogging or jumping up and down.

The point is not to make physical activity an unwelcome chore, but to make the most of the opportunities you have to be active.

It is important to start at a low intensity and increase this over the following few weeks as the exercise feels easier. For example, 20 minutes of walking, jogging or a combination of walking/jogging may be sufficient to leave you rather breathless and fairly tired at the start of your program, but as the weeks go by, you may need to increase the pace or introduce jogging up some shallow hills to achieve a further increase in fitness. To continue to increase your fitness level, you will have to increase the time spent exercising aerobically to 30 minutes per session for up to five sessions per week.

The Benefits of Aerobic Exercises
Keeping the Beat in Aerobics
Aerobics for the Heart

The health and fitness materials provided on this Site (including links to information provided by other Web sites) are to be used for informational purposes only. The health and fitness materials are not intended as a substitute for seeking professional fitness and/or medical care.

different forms of aerobics

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Forms of Aerobic Exercises
The key to successful weight control and improved overall health is making physical activity a part of your daily routine. Any type of physical activity you choose to do--strenuous activities such as running or aerobic dancing or moderate-intensity activities such as walking or household work--will increase the number of calories your body uses. It's easier than one thinks to perform numerous aerobic activities throughout the day.
Examples of mild to moderate aerobic activities:
Take a short walk around the block
Rake leaves
Play actively with the kids
Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator
Mow the lawn
Take an activity break--get up and stretch or walk around
Park your car a little farther away from your destination
Examples of higher intensity aerobic activities:
Brisk walking
Jogging
Bicycling
Swimming
Aerobic dancing
Racket sports
Rowing
Ice or roller-skating
Cross-country or downhill skiing
Using aerobic equipment (i.e., treadmill, stationary bike) Aerobic activity is often coined either High Impact or Low Impact. The basic difference is that one foot always stays on the floor and supports the weight of the body in low-impact aerobics. High-impact aerobics include actions that take both feet off the floor, thus causing more jarring of the joints when the body weight hits the floor again. An example of Low Impact is walking while High Impact is jogging or jumping up and down. The point is not to make physical activity an unwelcome chore, but to make the most of the opportunities you have to be active. It is important to start at a low intensity and increase this over the following few weeks as the exercise feels easier. For example, 20 minutes of walking, jogging or a combination of walking/jogging may be sufficient to leave you rather breathless and fairly tired at the start of your program, but as the weeks go by, you may need to increase the pace or introduce jogging up some shallow hills to achieve a further increase in fitness. To continue to increase your fitness level, you will have to increase the time spent exercising aerobically to 30 minutes per session for up to five sessions per week.

The Benefits of Aerobic Exercises Keeping the Beat in Aerobics Aerobics for the Heart
The health and fitness materials provided on this Site (including links to information provided by other Web sites) are to be used for informational purposes only. The health and fitness materials are not intended as a substitute for seeking professional fitness and/or medical care.
Related Topics
Benefits of AerobicsThe Aerobic BeatAerobics for the Heart Jumping RopeWeighing InBody Mass Index ChartSteps To A Healthier Life High Impact ExerciseGetting StartedControlling Your Weight Weighty Terms Body Mass Index - BMI
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