Healing Aids... - Exercise - Aerobic / Endurance Exercise

Aerobic, or endurance exercise, involves using your large muscle groups in rhythmic and repetitive movements for prolonged periods of time. The exercise improves by a gradual, systematic increase in the time and effort you spend exercising. Activities to choose from are numerous, including brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing, racquet sports, and many more activities.

Many people prefer the solitude of exercising on their own, while others enjoy the company and motivation of exercising with others. Aerobic exercise protects your heart and circulation by increasing HDL "good" cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and blood sugar levels, reducing your body's tendency to clot, and burning away body fat.

During aerobic exercise, you will be working hard to raise your heart rate to between 70 to 85% of its maximum. To determine your maximum heart rate, start by subtracting your age from 220. A 37 year-old with a resting heart rate of 72 beats per minute wanting to exercise at 70% capacity would calculate his/her target heart rate with this equation:

(220-37-72) x 70% = 150

These numbers are just guidelines, however, and are just numbers. Although 150 beats per minute would be the target heart rate using the above equation, it is not difficult to tell when you are exceeding your limits. You should be exercising at a rate where you are breaking into a heavy sweat without feeling winded or breathless. Working hard and efficiently in aerobic exercise means that you are working just beyond a comfortable groove -- that you are maintaining a degree of comfort while at the same time pushing your limits.

Working below this rate is inefficient; working above it is not only dangerous, but is not in any way beneficial to your body. A burning or cramping sensation can indicate that you are working too hard and that your heart is not receiving enough oxygen for the amount of effort you are exerting. At this point you should slow down and find a more comfortable pace. It is important to understand that training for aerobic exercise involves not only striving to go faster and farther, but also finding the perfect rate at which to exercise. This is essential for proper training; it ensures that exercise becomes more beneficial. Although finding this "rate" may be difficult to explain in theory, it is much easier felt once you have established a regular aerobic workout.