Topic Overview
Aerobic activity raises your heart rate and keeps it up for a while.
This increases the amount of oxygen delivered to your heart and muscles. Over time, this kind of activity benefits your heart, your muscles, your mood and self-esteem, and your amount of energy. It can lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat, anxiety and depression, and fatigue.
Finding the right activity
Experts say to do regular
and/or
.
Here are some ideas for both
types of activities. You can boost many of the moderate activities in the left
column to a vigorous level by doing them faster or harder.1
Moderate intensity | Vigorous intensity |
General exercise: - Brisk walking
- Light to moderate calisthenics (for example, home
exercises, back exercises, getting up and down from the
floor)
- Low-impact aerobic
dancing
- Jogging on a small trampoline
- Weight lifting, body building, using a lot of effort
- Light to moderate workouts on gym equipment like Nautilus or
Universal machines or a rowing machine
| General exercise: - Walking
uphill, jogging or running
- Heavy calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks,
etc.)
- High impact aerobic dancing
- Jumping rope
- Using a stair-climber or skiing
machine
- Stationary bicycling, with vigorous effort
|
Water exercises: - Treading water with moderate effort
- Water
aerobics or water calisthenics
- Kayaking, canoeing, white-water
rafting
- Springboard or platform diving
- Paddle
boating
| Water exercises: - Swimming laps with fast, vigorous effort
- Treading water with fast, vigorous effort
- Water
jogging
- Rowing a canoe in
competition
- Skin diving and scuba
diving
|
Outdoor activities: - Fishing and hunting
- Playing with a
Frisbee
- Children's games, like hopscotch, 4-square, and dodge
ball
- Playing on playground equipment
- Downhill skiing
- Shoveling snow
| Outdoor activities: - Horseback riding—trotting or
galloping
- Competitive sports like rugby, field hockey, and
soccer
- Hiking
with a backpack
- Mountain biking
- Ice skating quickly (more than 9 mph)
- Snowshoeing and
cross-country skiing
|
House and yard work: - Sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping
floors
- Washing the car with vigorous effort
- Sweeping
the garage, sidewalk, or patio
- Washing the dog
- Mowing
or raking the lawn
- Digging in the garden
| House and yard work: - Carrying groceries
upstairs
- Carrying boxes or furniture
- Baling hay or cleaning the barn with vigorous effort
|
Adding variety to a fitness program is a good way to keep
motivated.
- Vary the activity. If you are
getting bored with walking, try swimming or an aerobics class.
- Vary the place. Try a new route for walking or biking
or even a different room for your exercises or stretching. By having several
options, you can pick one that suits your mood or schedule.
- Vary the time. Do your exercises at different times
and for different amounts of time. If you become bored with your noon walk, try
exercising in the early morning or after work or school. Instead of doing one
45-minute session, do three 15-minute sessions.