Aerobic Exercise

Updated on July 28, 2007

Aerobic exercise (also called cardiovascular training or cardio training) is exercise that forces you to use oxygen. These are the fat burning exercises. They cause you to breath heavy and sweat a lot. Cardio training boosts your metabolism by training your body to burn fat more efficiently and sooner. Cardio training also builds up strength in your heart and lungs reducing the risks of heart disease, lung problems, and a variety of other health conditions.

Making Progress

The key to cardio exercise (and all exercise) is to start out small. Try to exercise for 5 minutes on day 1, 6 minutes on day 2, 7 minutes on day 3, and so. When you can exercise for at least 30 minutes without feeling too winded, move up to a more intense aerobic activity. Ideally, you should exercise for 30 to 60 minutes per day (and you can divide that into two or three workouts throughout the day), 5 or 6 times per week. (Always make sure that you give yourself at least one day of rest. You're body needs to recover too.)

Target Workout Level

You should try to exercise in your target heart rate. You can determine what your target heart rate is by doing some math. Your maximum heart rate should be around 220 - your age. Now, multiply that by 0.60. This is the 60% mark. Now, multiply your max heart rate by 0.80. This is the 80% mark. You want to keep your heart rate up between the 60% and 80% for a minimum of 15 minutes. If you don't feel like figuring out this calculation, just exercise hard enough so that it is difficult to hold a conversation but not so much that you are gasping for air; you should still be able to speak in short sentences.

Get Creative

Cardio exercise doesn't have to be boring. By switching from activity to activity, you get the benefit of trying out multiple exercises for variation. By getting involved in a sport that allows you to progress through a variety of movements, you won't even notice that you're exercising. Most dancers, martial artists, gymnasts, etc. don't think of themselves as exercising rather than enjoying something they love. With team sports, you never know what will happen, and the competition will keep you on your toes.

If you find a specific activity that you love, such as hiking, set higher goals for yourself within the activity. For example, walk on a flat path at first. Move up to a slightly inclined path. Move up again to a steeper path. Switch to hiking on areas with rough paths and obstacles. Continue on even harder and longer paths. Eventually, you might even want to get into backpacking or climbing.

Cardio / Aerobic Exercise includes:

• Walking
• Jogging
• Sprinting
• Hiking
• Backpacking
• Climbing
• Stair Climbing
• Rowing
• Skiing
• Snowboarding
• Skating
• Bike Riding
• Spinning
• Trampoline
• Jumping Rope
• Jumping Jacks
• Swimming
• Aqua Aerobics
• Aerobics
• Dancing
• Gymnastics
• Martial Arts
• Boxing
• Kick Boxing
• Circuit Training
• Racquet Sports
• Team Sports
• Exercise Machines
• Sex (yup, it's a workout)
• Vigorously cleaning your house (anything with constant motion)
• Working in your yard (mowing the lawn, anything that involves constant motion)