Aerobic Activities that Give Health Benefits

Because variety is the spice of an active life, many people prefer different forms of aerobic exercise. All can provide many health benefits. Here are some of the popular options:

Swimming. For aerobic conditioning, you have to swim laps using the freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, or backstroke. You must also be a good enough swimmer to keep churning through the water for at least 20 minutes. Your heart will beat more slowly in water than on land, so your heart rate while swimming is not an accurate guide to exercise intensity. Try to keep up a steady pace that’s fast enough to make you feel pleasantly tired, but not completely exhausted, by the time you get out of the pool.

Cycling. Bicycling, indoors and out, can be an excellent cardiovascular conditioner, as well as an effective way to control weight. If you coast down too many hills, you’ll have to ride longer up hills or on level ground to get a good workout. An 18-speed bike can make pedaling too easy unless you choose gears carefully. To gain aerobic benefits, mountain bikers have to work hard enough to raise their heart rates to their target zone and keep up that intensity for at least 20 minutes.

Cardio kick-boxing. Also referred to as kick-boxing or boxing aerobics, this hybrid of boxing, martial arts, and aerobics offers an intense total-body workout. An hour of kick-boxing burns an average of 500 to 800 calories, compared to 300 to 400 calories in a typical step aerobics class.

Rowing. Whether on water or a rowing machine, rowing provides excellent aerobic exercise as well as working the upper and lower body and toning the shoulders, back, arms, and legs. Correct rowing techniques are important to avoid back injury.

Skipping rope. Essentially a form of stationary jogging with some extra arm action thrown in, skipping rope is excellent as both a heart conditioner and a way of losing weight. Always warm up before starting and cool down afterward.

Aerobic dancing. This activity combines music with kicking, bending, and jumping. A typical class (you can also dance at home to a video or TV program) consists of stretching exercises and sit-ups, followed by aerobic dances and cool-down exercises. “Soft,” or low-impact, aerobic dancing doesn’t put as much strain on the joints as “hard,” or high-impact, routines. One of the best video for aerobic exercise is insanity workout dvds. These DVDs will help you to get a healthy muscular body. They are fun exercises and motivate you to achieve maximum results.

Stair climbing. You could run up the stairs in an office building or dormitory, but most people use stair-climbing machines available in home models and at gyms and health clubs.

Inline skating. Inline skating can increase aerobic endurance and muscular strength and is less stressful on joints and bones than running or high impact aerobics. Skaters can adjust the intensity of their workout by varying the terrain.

Tennis. As with other sports, tennis can be an aerobic activity—depending on the number of players and their skill level. In general, a singles match requires more continuous exertion than playing doubles.

List of Aerobic Activities is a post from: Insanity Reviews