39 Life Changing Benefits of Cardio Aerobics

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39 Life Changing Benefits of Cardio Aerobics

Written by Jeff Behar, MS, MBA
There are many proven health benefits to those that incorporate aerobic exercise into their daily routine. Cardiovascular or Aerobic Training improves your heart muscle and cardiovascular system. It not only improves endurance, but regular aerobic exercise strengthens the heart, allowing the heart to pump blood more efficiently, delivering oxygen and other important nutrients throughout the body with less effort. Health Benefits of Aerobic (Cardio) Training   Research shows that the specific benefits of regular low impact aerobic exercise includes: Reduces stress. Regular aerobic exercise releases endorphins, your body's natural painkillers. Endorphins also reduce stress, depression and anxiety. Improves sleep patterns. Studies show that exercise help reduce stress, increases calmness, and improves sleep disorders.  Reference: American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2008, June 12). Moderate Exercise Can Improve Sleep Quality Of Insomnia Patients. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/06/080611071129.htm Reduces anxiety. Aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety and improve the sleep quality of insomnia patients, according to several research studies. Reference: American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2008, June 12). Moderate Exercise Can Improve Sleep Quality Of Insomnia Patients. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/06/080611071129.htm May reduce chronic pain. Regular aerobic exercise releases endorphins, your body's natural painkillers. Reduces risk to many chronic diseases. Several studies show the benefit of regular exercise including aerobic exercise on health. In the January 2008 issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, the Mayo clinic notes the following health benefits associated with 30 minutes of exercise a day: lower blood pressure, reduction in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), improvement in  the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol in the blood), reduction is risk to type 2 diabetes, reduction in risk to osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease, improvement in bone density. Note: extra weight is also a contributing factor to conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes) and some forms of cancer, therefore as you lose weight, your risk of developing these diseases decreases. Reference: Mayo Clinic (2008, January 4). Moderate Exercise Yields Big Benefits. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/01/080104123421.htm Helps reduce the risk of developing insulin sensitivity and Type 2 diabetes. Tighter management of blood glucose levels reduces the workload of the pancreas, which reduces the risk for developing insulin sensitivity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes). Note, although aerobic exercise improved glycemic/blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes) significantly, the greatest improvements came from combined aerobic and resistance training. Referece: Mayo Clinic (2008, January 4). Moderate Exercise Yields Big Benefits. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/01/080104123421.htm. American College of Physicians (2007, September 18). Both Aerobic And Resistance Exercise Improved Blood Sugar Control In People With Diabetes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/09/070917173157.htm Lowers risk of heart disease (including but not limited to coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease angina. Stops or reverses the build-up of blockages in the vessels that supply blood to the heart. Increases the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen. Helps control blood sugar. Regular exercise stops wild blood sugar fluctuations, thus helps control the insulin response as well. Increases bone density. Lowers risk of osteoporosis. Helps prevent osteoporosis (gradual loss of bone mass/strength). Research shows that bones become weaker if they are not stressed and that exercise helps prevent bone calcium loss.  Improves mobility and strength in later life. Research shows that exercise helps improve mobility, flexibility and strength.   Promotes weight loss through calories burning and increased metabolism. When performing aerobic (cardio) exercise the increase in work load of exercised muscles results in increased metabolic rate, fuel consumption or calorie burning, continues for several hours after the workout is completed. Weight management. Helps maintain a healthy weight. Burns calories. Aerobic exercise raises the metabolic rate and burns calories. Reduces body fat. A research team at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital in Santiago, showed that aerobic exercise reduced body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat. The study also showed that the participants had waist circumference, decreased blood pressure, and reduced appetite. Reference; The Endocrine Society (2008, June 18). Aerobic Exercise Increases A Blood Protein That May Suppress Appetite. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/06/080616115855.htm. Reduces hunger and suppresses appetite. Aerobic exercise increases leptin levels, a hormone that helps reduce hunger and suppress appetite.  Increases your metabolic rate. The metabolic activity of an individual is heightened for several hours following a bout of aerobic activity. Improves immune system.  People who exercise regularly are less susceptible to minor viral illnesses such as colds and flu . It is possible that aerobic exercise helps activate your immune system and prepares it to fight off infection. Improved muscle health. Aerobic exercise stimulates the growth of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in your muscles. This helps your body more efficiently deliver oxygen to your muscles and remove from them irritating metabolic waste products such as lactic acid. Improves balance and coordination. Tone muscles throughout the body. Increases fitness. Can help keep you fit if you have arthritis, without putting excessive stress on your joints. Increases stamina/endurance.  Exercise may make you tired in the short term, i.e., during and right after the activity, but over the long term it will increase your stamina and reduce fatigue. Improves the ability of muscles to use fats during exercise, preserving intramuscular glycogen. Enhances the body's hormonal system. Aerobic exercise stimulates the body to secrete specific hormones that have positive specific effects on specific parts of our bodies. Examples include hormones that lower cholesterol, suppresses appetite (leptin), etc. Enhances the body's neuro system. Many hormonal changes affect the nervous system, including some that act on specific areas of the brain that control pleasure and elation. Among the effects are increased alertness and IQ Enhances the speed at which muscles recover from high intensity exercise. Slows down the aging process. Maintaining aerobic fitness through middle age and beyond can delay biological aging by up to 12 years and prolong independence during old age, according to several recent studies. Reference: BMJ-British Medical Journal (2008, April 10). Maintaining Aerobic Fitness Could Delay Biological Aging By Up To 12 Years, Study Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/04/080409205827.htm Increases brain power (cognitive ability). Several recent studies show that aerobic exercise can increase cognitive ability and allow down age related dementia. According to a recent review of studies from the Netherlands. Aerobic physical exercises that improve cardiovascular fitness also help boost cognitive processing speed, motor function and visual and auditory attention in healthy older people,” said lead review author Maaike Angevaren. Reference: Center for the Advancement of Health (2008, April 20). Aerobic Exercise Boosts Older Bodies And Minds, Review Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/04/080417173453.htm Improves quality of life. Less chronic muscle pain, less stiffness and greater mobility are all benefits of exercising. Increases life span. Several studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientifically linked aerobic exercise with increased life spans

Low Impact Aerobics for High Impact Results Written by Administrator    Aerobics to Tone, Firm and Build Muscle The term "aerobics " is often known as a series of rhythmic, large muscle exercises, usually done to music in a class led by an instructor. However, the term can also be used in a general sense as a cardiovascular workout that improves coordination, muscle strength, mobility, while promoting general well-being. Health Benefits of Aerobics Aerobics provides a whole host of health benefits, including but not limited to: Burning calories Reduction in body fat Improvement in bone density when used with weight resistance Reduction in stress General improvement in well-being Weight management Reduction in risk to cardiac diseases by lowering blood pressure and slowing down atherosclerotic processes Improvement aerobic fitness Improvement in coordination and balance Improvement in muscle shape and tone Improvement in muscular endurance and flexibility Improvement in muscular strength, posture and body performance High Impact vs. Low Impact Aerobic Exercise Many people suffer leg injuries from traditional aerobic workouts, often considered high impact aerobics. As knowledge about fitness increased many people seeking to increase their level of fitness and improve their shape have turned low-impact aerobic exercises. High impact aerobic exercises such as simulated rope jumping or jumping jacks, so popular in regular aerobics, are a thing of the past. Low-impact aerobic exercise exclude exercises where both feet leave the ground. Newer fitness routines that are considered low impact aerobic exercise focus on exercises where one foot remains on the ground at all times. Types of Low Impact Aerobic (Cardio) Exercise Today there are many types of low impact cardio exercises being used at home, in gyms, and in many fitness centers across the world. To make up for the lack of jumping, many of these newer routines include forms of kick boxing, boxing, yoga or other forms of martial arts. To increase intensity many fitness professionals also incorporate weights into the aerobic (cardio) workout. Low Impact Aerobic (Cardio) Exercise Intensity Low impact aerobic exercise doesn’t mean low intensity. Many low impact aerobic exercises can burn more fat and more calories than the older traditional high impact aerobic (cardio) exercise routines. Today’s low impact aerobic (cardio) exercise routines can still challenge you, and build up the cardiovascular system. Benefits of Low Impact Aerobic (Cardio) Exercise Low-impact aerobics can improve your health by increasing cardiovascular fitness while minimizing lower-body injuries that can occur due to higher impact exercise. Higher impact exercises then to put stress on joints, tendons and ligaments resulting in increases incidence of overuse syndrome, as well as increased incidences of strains and sprains and joint injuries. Potential Drawbacks of Low Impact Aerobic (Cardio) Exercise The problem with low-impact aerobics is that, depending on the level of the program, you may not be pushing the heart hard enough to derive any aerobic benefits. The optimum pulse range to achieve in an aerobic workout is your normal pulse plus 75 percent. In other words, if your pulse is normally 100 beats per minute, your rate during aerobic exercise should be around 175. This rate may be impossible to achieve during a low-impact workout. In fact, if you’re in good cardiovascular shape and then go on a low-impact program, you may be reducing your heart health, oxygen utilization, and energy reserve. Another potential drawback of the low-impact system is that for many of the weight exercises you have to strain and stretch your muscles just to maintain your balance. Since your feet are usually on the floor, this can overwork the muscles of the upper body. Low-impact exercisers suffer from tendinitis and even bursitis of the shoulders and arms. Many low-impact exercises are done on the floor standing erect and there is also a tendency toward ankle injuries. Conclusion Perhaps the best solution is to utilize low impact aerobic exercise with resistance (weight) training as a separate workout. Another solution would be to perhaps alternate low impact aerobic exercise with high impact aerobic exercise routines. This way the body gets a variety of different types of training, which has shown to maximize fitness gains, while also giving the muscle routine. As with all exercise, beginners should start slowly.  In regards to aerobic (cardio) exercise all beginners should start with a low-impact workout until their bodies become acclimated to aerobic (cardio) exercise. Once the muscles have been properly introduced to the wonders of aerobic exercise, it’s time to increase the intensity, whether it is by increase the time, increasing the pace, increasing the complexity of the routine, or whether it is by periodically incorporated a for the high-impact workout.