What are Aerobic Exercises and How do They Help in Boosting the Cardiovascular System?

Physical fitness is very important. It ensures a good and healthy lifestyle. A good exercise routine ensures a well-maintained body weight and physique. There are a lot of exercise categories, aerobics being top on the list. We often hear about aerobics as good for heart strength and weight loss but what actually are aerobic exercises? How do they affect the heart and boost the cardiovascular system? Why not we learn about this ourselves?

What are aerobic exercises?

Aerobic means ‘with oxygen’ so it is a type of cardiovascular exercise involving large muscles that get your blood pumping and stimulates the heart and breathing rate to control the amount of oxygen provided to the muscles to help them burn fuel and move. In aerobic exercise, the cells of the body undergo cellular respiration (a process that converts oxygen and other molecules into ATP) to provide energy.

American Heart Association, AHA suggests 30 minutes of cardiovascular/aerobic exercise 5 -7 days/week.

Aerobic exercise involves the heart, blood vessels, other organs, and large muscles, but how does it improve or boost cardiovascular health? Let’s have a look at it!

How do aerobic exercises help in boosting the cardiovascular system?

Aerobic exercises are any vigorous physical activity that spikes breathing & heart rate. In this way

• When you do aerobic exercise, the muscles need increased oxygen for contraction for a longer period

• It raises the blood and oxygen flow in the body meanwhile engaging the large muscle groups repetitively. This repetitive process improves and enhances the performance of the cardiovascular system like the heart, lungs, and circulatory systems. 

• In this way, the heart gets more efficient when with every beat it pumps the oxygen-carrying rich blood to the lungs, and the lungs become more effective response in taking in that oxygen.

• This can help in lowering blood pressure, and keeping the arteries clean and wide by raising the HDL- high-density lipoprotein, the good cholesterol, and by lowering the LDL- low-density lipoprotein., the bad cholesterol, and maintaining the level in blood.

• It also helps in the regulation of insulin levels and thus, it lowers the blood sugar level in the body.

• So, aerobic increases and improves blood circulation which lowers blood pressure and heart rate, thus boosting cardiovascular health.

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As aerobic exercise boosts cardiovascular health and is good for the overall body, what are some good options?

Good Aerobic Exercises

1. Running
2. Jogging
3. Walking
4. Rope Jumping
5. Swimming
6. Stationary Bicycle
7. Elliptical
8. Zumba
9. Aerobic Strength Circuit
10. Cardio-kickboxing
11. Rowing
12. Hiking
13. Dancing
14. Stair climbing
15. Water aerobics

These are some good options if you want to perform aerobics.

Conclusion

Aerobic exercise is the type of workout that stimulates the heart and breathing rates to improve blood flow supplying oxygen to different parts of the body in a way that can be sustained for the workout session. There are various kinds of aerobic exercises as simple as walking, running, jogging, etc. These types of exercises improve blood circulation which lowers blood pressure and heart rate, thus boosting cardiovascular health.