Benefits of Cardio & Aerobic Exercise

When was the last time you were out of breath? Can you even remember? Most of us live very sedentary lives and it really isn't good for us. Our bodies are made to move and getting cardio and aerobic exercise is extremely important to staying healthy. There are many benefits of cardio workouts.

Cardio and aerobic exercise ideally leaves you out of breath. Your heart should be pumping faster, your lungs working to keep up and you should probably be working up a bit of a sweat. Don't think there is something wrong though, because this is good for you. Cardio exercise will make your heart stronger and your lungs more efficient. Our bodies need a strong heart and lots of oxygen. Aerobic exercise provides just that as it helps our bodies give us what we need. A stronger heart increase blood flow to our entire bodies and stronger lungs increase the amount of oxygen we can take in. This is a win-win situation for your whole body.

All of this extra blood flow and oxygen will give you an energy boost and relieve stress. Working out helps our bodies to produce endorphins that boost our mood, so cardio exercise can also temporarily help a person deal with anxiety and depression.

Cardio and aerobic exercise also helps our bodies lose weight. Lifting weights is good for you too as it helps your body burn more calories, but you really aren't going to lose a lot of weight unless you do cardio exercises as well. This can be fairly easy to achieve though, because you can lift weights faster, jump from station to station with no breaks in between or even throw in jumping jacks between each piece of weight lifting equipment to get your heart rate up. My husband is the master of combining these things and he gets awesome total body workouts in, in record time. The faster you can work out the more cardio will be involved.

Aerobic exercise will also reduce the risk of heart disease because it is making your heart stronger and healthier. Many studies have shown that people who exercise sleep better and I definitely find this to be the case. Cardio exercise also increases your bone density, which will reduce your risk of osteoporosis as well as bone breaks.

Overall, cardio and aerobic exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body. If you are not already getting aerobic exercise in at least three to five times a week, there are plenty of options to help get your heart rate up. It doesn't take fancy equipment or a gym membership - simply get moving. A fast walk around the block is wonderful aerobic exercise, but running is even better. Run up the stairs instead of walking up them. Chase your kids around the yard. Do sit-ups, jumping jacks and pushups. There are so many ways to get good cardio exercise that we really have no excuse. So if you aren't already doing it, get up and get moving - your whole body will benefit.