Aerobic Exercise - Change any activity you enjoy doing into an Aerobic Exercise

Aim to do 150 mins of aerobic activity a week. (such as walking, cycling or swimming. But see below*)

Why is aerobic exercise an excellent help for your body?
 
It’s because regular exercise reduces fat, improves the way your heart and lungs operate, reduces your total cholesterol and lowers your resting heart rate. It also helps to lighten your whole outlook on life in general.

* I mention above the aerobic exercises walking, cycling and swimming as activities you could participate in. But of course, many people either don’t like or don’t have the time to take part in such activities. So they will be glad to hear that there are hundreds of alternative cardio activities available that can be turned into qualifying aerobic exercises. What you need to do is choose some activities that you actually enjoy doing (or at least, dislike them less than the others!) and do those with enough intensity for them to count as a cardio vascular exercise.

So what makes an activity change from just an activity into a qualifying aerobic exercise?

There are two things to take into account to find out if the exercise qualifies:

1.  The first is Heart Rate:

Your heart rate must be raised into an aerobic zone during the activity. That is, a heart rate of between 55% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.

Unfortunately, calculating your maximum heart rate is not an exact science and depends on a number of different factors. However, a fairly accurate maximum heart rate (MHR) can be found using the following formulae: 

(a) For men, MHR = 214 - (0.8 x age)

Example: If age is 40, MHR = 214 - (0.8 x 40)
                                              = 214 - (32)
                                              = 182   

So the aerobic zone heart rate is between 55% of 182, i.e. 100
                                                       and 85% of 182, i.e. 154  

(b) For Women, MHR = 209 - (0.9 x age)

Example: If age is 36, MHR = 209 - (0.9 x 36)                                               
                                              = 209 - (32.4)                                                 
                                              = 176.6
 
So the aerobic zone heart rate is between 55% of 176.6, i.e. 97
                                                       and 85% of 176.6, i.e. 150   
 
If you’re new to any exercise, you should use the lower end of your Heart Rate range, say between 55% of MHR and 65% of MHR until you feel comfortable enough to move to the higher end of your range.

(To find your heart beat: Immediately after you finish an exercise session, count your heart beats at the wrist. Count for 1 minute, starting at zero)

2. The second is time taken:
 
An activity has to continue for at least 10 minutes per session to qualify as a cardio exercise. If you begin by aiming for a minimum of 10 to 20 minutes per session, you can build up to an hour per session over time.

The good thing is that you don’t have to do the whole hour’s worth in one go. You see, the  time is cumulative, so you can do 10 minutes now, then further 10 minute slots now and then during the day when convenient, until your total is 1 hour.

So, do your calculations and choose which activities you will use to burn up those extra calories.