What is Aerobic Exercise?
Essentially,
an exercise can be considered aerobic if your heart rate
and breathing
rates are raised, through the rhythmic use of large muscle
groups, over an extended period of time. How do you do this?
It's easy with some...
- bicycling
- brisk
walking
- hiking
- running
- swimming
- water aerobics
- tennis
- dancing
...or other traditional methods that make use of
aerobic exercise equipment, such as a treadmill,
a stair stepper, an exercise bike, or an elliptical trainer. When done
in rapid
motion, even ordinary house chores can become aerobic in nature.
One of the great things about aerobic exercise it
that you can do it on your own schedule, and for whatever length of
time works for
you. For instance, many health experts have indicated that
doing several five to ten minutes walks during the day can be as
beneficial as doing one longer walk.
And if you have a day when you're just not up to doing high-impact
aerobics, that's fine...
Although low-impact aerobics need to
done for a longer period of time to have the same benefit as a more
vigorous workout, doing them for even just 15 to 20 minutes is far
better for you than taking the day off.
Aerobic Exercise for Back Pain
Along with back stretching
and back
strengthening exercises, aerobic type exercise is commonly
recommended for
back pain
treatment, for both occasional flare-ups and chronic back
pain. Why?
Aerobic exercise helps increase blood flow, which
in turn provides nutrients and oxygen to the muscles, joints and
ligaments that help support the spine. It can also help reduce the
stiffness and muscle
weakness which is often associated with back
pain.
The amount of exercise you should do
usually
depends on the stage of your back
pain. If you've
had a recent injury or flare-up, rest and ice
therapy
is often recommended for the first day or two. But once the pain
begins to stabilize it's usually time for some low impact aerobics,
like walking,
swimming, or making use of an exercise
bicycle.
After that, aerobic intensity is typically increased,
depending on pain level and tolerance.
Aerobic exercise and stretch exercise,
are the #1
things that I have
found
to help relieve my own back pain. However, I discovered that
if I exercise when I feel rushed, it does NOT work, AND it tends to
increase the tenseness in my muscles.
So...
Always take time for warm
up exercise before doing aerobics. Including a few minutes of
reading or
meditation
can be a great way to relax both your body and mind.
Health Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
Many health professionals believe that the health
benefits of aerobic exercise include...
- weight loss or weight control
- an increased energy level
- reduced stress
- improved psychological
outlook with less depression
- a strengthened
heart muscle
- greater flexibility and balance
- chronic
arthritis pain relief
- improved immune system
- control of blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
- reduced
risk of osteoporosis, when doing weight bearing aerobics
How much exercise do you need? General
fitness guidelines call for...
Before you begin an aerobic exercise
program, know a bit
about your target heart rate.
Talk to
your doctor and find out what yours should be, as it plays a role in
the safety and effectiveness of an exercise routine.
What
if you have arthritis? Try adding water aerobics to your
arthritis
exercise program. Although they are a
non-weight bearing exercise they can still provide the other benefits
of an aerobic workout.
The buoyancy of water makes water aerobics
routines
a
stress free
exercise for the joints and muscles. While the warmth of the
water
tends to
have a soothing effect the waters resistance
makes this type of exercise a great way to strengthen muscles.
Walking, jogging, running in the water, or playing pool games
with a ball, are all
great ways to have fun while getting a good aerobic workout. By making
use of floating
devices even non-swimmers can benefit.
Has your doctor said it's okay to begin, but you
need some motivation
to exercise?
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