Are You Doing Aerobic Exercise Well?
Not everything is putting on your shoes and taking to the streets. It takes a bit of programming, knowing what is the type of beneficial exercise and the intensity with which it can be performed.
Regular aerobic exercise is vital for cardiovascular health and weight control. It is also effective for defenses and to prevent or combat mild to moderate depression. Of course, it is essential for muscle and bone health.
Despite all the advantages, when one decides to exercise, it is common to get bored, tired and consider that one is not made for exercise. This is more likely to happen if we are injured or exercise in a way that is physically and mentally torturous.
Actually, exercising improves your mood and enhances your sense of well-being. Any resistance is due to lack of habit, something that can only be solved by insisting. But it is also possible that we have not chosen the right type of exercise or that we are making a mistake with the intensity.
How to exercise to make your practice a success
First of all, it is convenient to know how much exercise we should practice. The question does not have a universal answer because it logically depends on the physical condition and the objectives to be achieved. But the ideal is to do some aerobic exercise every day, that is, a physical activity that speeds up the heart and breathing rate and makes us sweat.
This does not mean spending an hour on a stationary bike every day. You just have to do some strenuous activity or find ways to make ordinary activities more vigorous. Gardening and yard work can be aerobic, housework can be aerobic, and going out to get the mail can be aerobic. It all depends on how you do it.
To obtain the maximum benefit for the cardiovascular system, aerobic activity must be continuous and sustained for more than a few minutes. The recommended ones is to work progressively until you reach a goal of 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week.
If 30 minutes seems like a long time, think about how much time you spend sitting and being inactive. Remember that aerobic exercise is one of the key pieces of a preventive health maintenance program. 30 minutes 5 days a week is a sensible and moderate recipe.
Frequency is important. Exercising for 60 minutes, but just once or twice a week does not provide the same results.
Remember also that the recommendation is an average. It’s not the end of the world if you miss a day or two from time to time. You can get it back later. Feeling bad about not exercising will probably hurt you more than not.
Introduce more variety in your exercise habits
One way to fight boredom, if that’s your problem, is to schedule very different activities. For example, one day you can run, another walk briskly, another ride a bike, another swim, and another jump rope.
You can also include other activities that may not seem “sporty” but have the same effects as dancing (with rhythm), going up and down stairs or jumping on a mini-trampoline.
The variety not only helps fight boredom, but also promotes full maintenance and development of muscles and bones. Just as following a highly varied diet is important to getting all the essential nutrients, varied and aerobic exercise ensures that you are working your entire body and reducing the risk of repetitive motion injury.
You can do it in company but without competing
A very effective way of not missing your exercise session and looking forward to it with joy is to meet up to exercise with friends. It’s a great idea, but you should avoid doing it competitively. Competitive thoughts negate some of the benefits of exercise, especially on the cardiovascular and immune systems because competitiveness entails the release of stress hormones. If you can’t avoid being competitive, it’s best to exercise on your own.
On the other hand, competitive sports that are played with other people such as tennis, basketball, or soccer are not a substitute for aerobic activities such as walking, running, and cycling because aerobic work is intense but intermittent in nature rather than keep going. It is a regular and maintained effort that better tones the cardiovascular system.
Heat before and cool after
Remember that you should always warm up before starting aerobic activity. The best warm-up is a slower version of the activity you are about to do. For example, walking or jogging before running. Stretching is fine, but it is not a substitute for warming up because it does not prepare the muscles for the effort that aerobic exercise requires.
Take a few minutes to cool off at the end of the activity. Cooling is similar to warming up. You can do the same routine.
Do you have to get a checkup?
On the other hand, if you have never exercised or have not practiced in years, get a medical check-up before starting regular activity. If you have a history of heart problems, high blood pressure, or a family history of these problems, you may need a cardiac stress test.
Pay attention to your body! Stop exercising if unusual aches or pains appear. And quit immediately and see a doctor if you experience dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, chest pains, or shortness of breath.
If you are sick (with a cold, for example), forget about exercise until you are fine. Then gradually resume the activity. Don’t worry if you have lost some of your fitness; you will return to your level quickly.
