Long lasting benefits of aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise, often called “cardio,” is any activity that gets your muscles moving, heart pumping, and lungs working. These activities are known as cardiovascular activities because they give your heart and lungs the extra boost they need to function efficiently. Examples include brisk walking, running, jumping rope, swimming, running, and cycling. Aerobic exercise is good for you regardless of your age, weight, or athletic ability.

You might wonder, “How is this different from lifting weights?” While these activities are great for building strength and power, they are considered anaerobic exercises. Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, requires endurance and sustained effort.

Some of the long-lasting benefits of aerobic exercise include:

Improves cardiovascular health

Most healthcare providers recommend aerobic exercise for people with or at risk of heart disease. This is important for adults over 40, overweight and obese adults with cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high sugar. Your heart muscle becomes stronger with exercise, improving the heart’s ability to pump blood. Increased oxygen and nutrition delivery to your body’s tissues due to improved blood circulation gives you more energy.

Cardiovascular exercise helps you manage high blood pressure by keeping your arteries clear and reducing the risk of clots forming. Lower blood pressure means less strain on your heart muscles, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Regulates weight and metabolism

The CDC says a healthy diet and consistent physical activity are essential for losing weight. As you may have heard, a good cardio session can burn hundreds of calories, helping you get and keep healthy weight.

Here’s the best part – regular aerobic exercise boosts your metabolism, meaning your body keeps burning calories faster after your workout. The “afterburn effect” aids long-term weight management and prevents weight regain.

Improve muscular and skeletal health

Aerobic exercises strengthen your muscles and engage your entire body. It increases your muscular endurance, helping you power through your day without feeling worn out.

Exercises like jogging or dancing are fun ways to improve bone density. As you get older, these activities reduce the risk of bone weakness, keeping you strong and steady on your feet.

Beneficial to respiratory system

Have you ever noticed how you can breathe easier after a workout? Aerobic exercise strengthens your lung capacity, allowing you to take in more oxygen with each breath.

It also improves how efficiently your body uses oxygen, meaning you will have more energy and better endurance during physical activities. Regular cardio can also help manage respiratory conditions like asthma and lung function symptoms.

Boost mental health and cognitive function

Aerobic exercise is good for your physical body and improves your mental health. Aerobic exercises triggers endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that boost your mood and reduce stress.

Cardio exercises are also great natural antidepressants. They decrease the symptoms of anxiety and depression and enhance your memory and overall brain function.

Strengthens immune system

A strong immune system is your body’s defence against illnesses. Regular aerobic exercise enhances your immune response by increasing the production of antibodies in the blood called immunoglobulins. This improves your body’s ability to fight off infections and recover faster when you get sick.

People who engage in regular aerobic exercise have been shown to have a lower risk of catching common illnesses like colds and flu.

How to Get Started with Aerobic Exercise

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Start slow: If you’re new to exercise, your initial exercises should be short timed. You can increase the time as you get better.
• Choose activities you enjoy: Dancing, swimming, or cycling. Pick something you’ll look forward to.
• Get involved in group sports: This is an excellent way to encourage consistency and have fun with other people.
• Spice things up: Variety keeps things interesting and works for different muscle groups.
• Be consistent: Remember, it’s better to do a little regularly than a lot occasionally.
• Listen to your body: Push yourself, but know your limits.

Conclusion

Aerobic exercise has a lot of benefits and when combined with other exercises like strength training can drastically improve your life.

Reviewed by Tosin Oladele (MD)