What is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobic means "with oxygen." So your aerobic metabolism combines oxygen with carbohydrate or fat to make
energy. For oxygen to be used, the activity must be sustained for a prolonged period. If an activity is intermittent
in nature its not aerobic its anaerobic or sugar burning.
It involves large muscle groups (namely your legs), and, most important of all - can be sustained continuously for
long periods of time (at least 20 - 30 minutes and up to as much as 60 minutes). Activities like walking, jogging,
bicycling, stair climbing, rowing, cross-country skiing and elliptical exercise fall into this group.

Aerobics
It is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength
training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-
vascular fitness).
It is usually performed to music and may be practiced in a group setting led by an instructor (fitness professional),
although it can be done solo and without musical accompaniment.
Physical exercise can improve both your mental and physical health. Since aerobic exercise directly relates to
lowering blood pressure that is what we will focus on.
The benefits of aerobic exercise include reduced cholesterol and blood pressure, improved muscular
endurance, reduced body fat and increased metabolism.

Well- balance Aerobics

warm-up (5-10 minutes), cardio vascular conditioning (25-30 minutes), muscular strength and conditioning (10-
15 minutes), cool-down (5-8 minutes) and stretching and flexibility (5-8 minutes).

Types of exercise
Different types of exercise offer different benefits. Aerobic or cardio workouts primarily improve the
cardiovascular system (heart and lungs); while weight training or strength training improves muscular strength
and flexibility or stretching exercises improve overall mobility and coordination.
Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:

Aerobic exercises such as cycling, walking and running focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance.

Anaerobic exercises such as weight training, functional training or sprinting increase short-term muscle
strength

Flexibility exercises such as stretching improve the range of motion of muscles and joints.

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Among the recognized benefits of aerobic exercise are:

Increased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)
Improvement in cardiovascular/cardio respiratory function (heart and lungs)
Increased blood supply to muscles and ability to use oxygen
Lower heart rate and blood pressure at any level of sub-maximal exercise
Increased threshold for lactic acid accumulation
Lower resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people with high blood pressure
Increased HDL Cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
Decreased blood triglycerides
Reduced body fat and improved weight control
Improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance
 Precautions

Before you begin your new exercise program, I highly recommend that you take an exercise stress test by a physician to
rule out any potential health risks.
This is a must especially if you have been inactive, smoke, have high cholesterol, or are over age 45. This simple,
painless procedure is usually done on a treadmill or stationary bike in your doctors office.
While you exercise, several monitors will measure your heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, electrocardiogram
(ECG or EKG), and how tired you feel during the test.
The stress test helps a physician find out how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during
the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood. The test can show if the blood supply is
reduced in the arteries that supply the heart.
After the test, your doctor will be able to give you specific guidelines, including the kind and level of exercise
appropriate for you.

Some exercise safety tips

1. Aerobic exercise after a full meal can compromise impairs the delivery of oxygen & nutrients to the muscles defeating
your essential purpose of doing aerobic exercise, and to improve blood flow.

2. If you live in an area, like my hot and humid United Arab Emirates where during the summer months the temperature
runs up to the mid 40s Centigrade (>104 F), avoid performing aerobic workouts during the hottest parts of the day.

3. Do not forget to drink lots of water before you begin your cardio exercise and continue to drink fluids during the workout.

4. If you are prone to doing jogging in areas near the road or interstate, you may want to consider the rate of pollution and
carbon monoxide. Breathing in pollutants can be easily absorbed by the lungs and may trigger some respiratory ailments.

5. Start the aerobic exercise right by performing warm-ups and stretching exercises in order to condition the muscles.
Improper warm up can lead to muscle strains. Proper stretching prevents the possibility of soft tissue injury resulting
from tight muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other joint-related structures.

6. Proper cool down after exercise is important in reducing the occurrence of painful muscle spasms. It is widely known
that proper cool down may also decrease frequency and intensity of muscle stiffness the day following any exercise
program.

7. Do not exercise if you are sick, feeling dizzy or just plain tired from a long day at the office. Accidents happen more often
under these circumstances. One day off will not hurt you in the long run as long as you stick to your exercise the rest of
the time.