Aerobic activity, also called cardiovascular or cardio, helps make your heart and lungs stronger. Making
Aerobic activity, also called cardiovascular or cardio, helps make your heart and lungs stronger. Makingaerobics a part of your fitness routine will do a lot of good for your overall health.With cardio activities, you know you’re doing them when you breathe harder and your heart beats faster. It canlower your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat, anxiety and depression, and fatigue.Cardio also gives you the strength to do the things you like for longer, like a walk and talk with a friend, playingwith your child, or exploring a new city.Any exercise that raises your heart rate and keeps it up while you’re exercising will improve your aerobicfitness. These exercises can include: walking, dancing, boxing, or cycling. Swimming and water aerobics counttoo.Some daily activities can also be aerobic. These activities include: walking to work or to the store, or cleaningthe house while listening to fast-paced music.If your job includes lots of sitting, try adding these short bursts of activity to your day: use your commute to dosome extra walking. Park several blocks away, or get off the bus a few stops early.Go the extra distance when possible: Get your coffee on another floor. And use the stairs.Aside from cleaning the house or taking the stairs at work, try to choose activities that you enjoy. This will helpyou stay with your program and meet your goals.To get and stay healthy, experts say to get moderate aerobic activity for at least 2 ½ hours per week.You can decide how many days and how long you want to do cardio activities. An idea to try: you could take a10-minute walk 3 times a day.Now, if it’s been a while since you’ve been active or have health problems, it’s a good idea to talk to yourdoctor before adding aerobic activity to your day.Your doctor will help you know how often and how long to exercise. You can also get help setting yourlong-term exercise goals.From dancing in your kitchen to walking the dog, you may be surprised by all the activities that count asaerobic. You can avoid boredom by mixing up your routine and trying something new.Find what moves you and make it a fun part of every day for better health.© The Wellness NetworkThis program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.© The Wellness Network
© The Wellness Network
