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Aerobic Exercise - We Like to Move it, Move it
And you should like to "move it, move it" too. You will eventually love doing aerobic exercise. We guarantee it. It is so good for you. It improves your mind, body, heart and soul. So really, there's no reason not to "move it, move it".
Aerobic training is often called cardio training. The two words basically mean the same thing, so don't let that confuse you :-)
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Click on this link to find out what our fitness friend King Julien thinks of aerobic exercise. |
What you will learn from this article:
- The benefits of aerobic/cardio exercise
- What is it anyway?
- The different ways you can do it.
- Good places to do it.
- When and how often you should do aerobic training.
- Who should be doing this type of exercise
Benefits of Aerobic Exercise |
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It gets you moving, which makes you feel great. It's not often you finish a workout and feel really bad. You feel good after exercise because you've done something good for your body. You're being rewarded with some feel-good chemicals to keep you coming back for more. |
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Aerobic training is really good for cleaning out toxins from your body. Lets say you’ve been on a week-long holiday binge. If you do some aerobic training it will clear out a lot of that rubbish. |
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Here's some good news for those of you with high blood pressure. Doing aerobic exercise is proven to help lower your blood pressure. |
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Aerobic exercise will get rid of some of the bad cholesterol in your body. Basically, moving aerobically is like setting your pump (your heart) on high for a while. It gets everything inside your body moving so that it doesn't settle, stagnate and poison you. |
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Getting your heart rate up is really good for burning fat. Aerobic exercise is great for weight loss. Check it out here. Oh yeah, while you're losing weight you'll be getting fit too. How's that for a cool side effect? |
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What is Aerobic Exercise?
Aerobic exercise is the type of exercise that gets your heart pumping! This means:
Well that's what we're aiming for anyway. |
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Aerobic exercise is long and continuous. You should be doing it at a rate where you can keep it up... Not too hard, not too soft....just right. It has to be just right for you. Your ideal aerobic workout might be different from your friends. Maybe your friend isn't as fit as you are. Just walking down the road might be aerobic exercise for them. A good guide for letting you know when you're in the aerobic zone is your heart rate. Your aerobic system kicks in at about 60% MHR. Check out the link to see how you can use your heart rate in your fitness training. |
Aerobic energy is actually an amazing thing. Your aerobic energy system takes fuel, such as carbohydrates/fats, from your body. It then combines the fuel with oxygen from your lungs. What's the result? Really long lasting energy for your muscles. Cool huh!
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What Types of Aerobic Exercise Are Out There?
There are so many different types of aerobic exercise:
- Dancing
- Skipping
- Running
- Trampolining
- Swimming
- Playing Tennis
- Chasing your kids
- Boxing
- Squash
- Digging/Shovelling dirt
- Climbing
- Walking up stairs.....if there's enough of them.
- Whatever tickles your fancy
The list could go on and on and on....
All these forms of exercise have specific quirks to them and their own challenges. The basic idea behind all of them is to make sure you’re having fun and keeping your heart rate up. If you can do this, you’re more likely to want to do it again next time.
Have you even been for a run and felt very sick in the first few minutes.Good news, you're not alone! It's quite common to feel very sluggish and lethargic in the first 5-10 mins of aerobic exercise. It's just your body changing the energy systems it's using. The best thing to do is just start slowly. The feeling will pass. Once it does, you can really let fly. |
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Where is a Good Place to do Aerobic Exercise?
Well.....your home would be an excellent place to start. There are heaps of things for you to do at home that will get you moving aerobically. There are also many other places to exercise aerobically. The gym can be a place to do it, BUT, and this is a big BUT... the gym only provides boring, monotonous ways of doing exercise. When you do it at home you can make it fun. That is very important. Blast your music so you can’t hear yourself panting. Go mad for a while. If it's not fun you will battle every single step of the way.
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When and How Often Should I Do It?
Preferably every single day. Don’t panic though. You don't have to maintain a high intensity every day, or even do it for hours on end. Listen to your body. A little bit every day is great. If you can't do it every day, then try to do it as often as possible. Remember, every little bit counts. It all adds up.
Obviously, the more you move, the more of the benefits you will experience. But if you're new to this, remember to start off slowly. You don't want to shock your body too much.
Your ultimate goal should be to make yourself have a hunger for movement. You should crave this stuff. And believe me you will, IF...
- You keep doing exercise.
- You keep focusing on how you feel after exercise.
- You remind yourself of the benefits you've achieved.
- You keep your goals in mind.
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Who is This Type of Exercise Good For?
Who isn't it good for? If you're alive you should be doing it. Geez we bet even dead people would benefit from it..... Point is, it's essential for a long, happy and healthy life! Absolutely Essential.
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Summary of all the articles that we linked to from this page:
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Keep us up to date with how you're going! If you want personal advice, just drop us an email. |
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