Aerobic Exercises: Top 10 Reasons to Exercise

Regardless of age, weight, or athletic abilities, aerobic exercise is good for you. Take a look at why — and then get ready to get moving.

Mayo Clinic Staff: “Regular aerobic activity, such as walking, cycling, or swimming, can help you live longer and healthier. Need motivation? See how aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs, and circulation. Then get moving and start reaping the rewards.”

How Your Body Reacts to Aerobic Exercise

During aerobic activity, you continuously move large muscles in your arms, legs, and hips. You’ll quickly notice your body’s responses:
You breathe faster and deeper, increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood.

Your heart beats faster, increasing blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs. Your small blood vessels (capillaries) will widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid.

Your body will even release endorphins, natural painkillers that promote an increased sense of well-being.

What Aerobic Exercise Does for Your Health

Regardless of your age, weight, or athletic abilities, aerobic activity is beneficial for you.

Aerobic exercise has numerous health benefits. As your body adapts to regular aerobic exercise, you’ll become stronger and more fit.

Consider the following 10 ways aerobic activity can help you feel better and enjoy life to the fullest:

Aerobic activity can help you:

Keep Extra Pounds Off

In combination with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off.

Increase Your Endurance, Stamina, and Strength

You may feel tired when you first start regular aerobic exercise. But over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased endurance and reduced fatigue.

You can also improve your heart and lung fitness and strengthen your bones and muscles over time.

Guard Against Viral Illnesses

Aerobic exercises activate your immune system in a positive way. This can make you less susceptible to viral illnesses, such as the common cold and the flu.

Reduce Health Risks

Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions. These conditions include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, and certain types of cancer.

Aerobic exercises like walking also help reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Manage Chronic Conditions

Aerobic exercise can help lower blood pressure and control blood sugar. It can reduce pain and improve function in people with arthritis. It can also improve the quality of life and fitness in people who’ve had cancer. If you have coronary artery disease, aerobic exercise can help manage your condition.

Strengthen Your Heart

A stronger heart doesn’t have to beat as quickly. A stronger heart also pumps blood more effectively, improving blood flow to all parts of your body.

Keep Your Arteries Clear

Aerobic exercise increases your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol, and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol. This can result in less plaque buildup in your arteries.

Enhance Your Mood

Aerobic exercise can alleviate the blues of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety, and boost relaxation. It can improve your mental state and self-esteem. It can also enhance your sleep.

Stay Active and Independent as You Age

Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Exercise also reduces the risk of falls and injuries in older adults and can improve the quality of your life.

Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. Regular physical activity can help protect memory, reasoning, judgment, and thinking skills (cognitive function) in older adults. It can also improve cognitive function in children and young adults.

It can even prevent the onset of dementia and enhance cognition in people with dementia.

Live Longer

Studies show that people who engage in regular aerobic exercise live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly. They may also have a lower risk of dying from all causes, including heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Take the First Step

Are you ready to become more active? Great. Just remember to start small. If you’ve been inactive for a while or have a chronic health condition, consult your doctor before starting.

When you’re ready to begin exercising, start slowly. You can walk for five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. Any physical activity is better than none.
The next day, add a few minutes to each walking session.

Increase your pace as you go. Soon, you might be briskly walking for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and enjoying all the benefits of regular aerobic activity. You can gain even more benefits if you exercise more. Also, try to sit less and move more throughout the day.

Other options for aerobic exercise can include cross-country skiing, aerobic dancing, swimming, stair climbing, cycling, and jogging.