Of all the components of physical fitness, aerobic fitness is the most important because aerobic (cardio) exercise conditions all the major systems of the body and is most responsible for preventing premature death and reducing the risk of many diseases and medical conditions. Understanding the many benefits of aerobic exercise can motivate decisions to engage in such activity. Setting goals for aerobic fitness helps to further direct and motivate a person’s attention and effort toward sufficient amounts of aerobic exercise to achieve high aerobic (cardiorespiratory) conditioning and numerous health benefits.
Definition and Types of Aerobic Exercise
According to the Institute of Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine (ASCM), aerobic exercise “refers to exercises in which the body's large muscles move in a rhythmic manner for sustained periods.” Moderate-intensity aerobic exercises increase heart rate and respiration rate but still permit conversation. They typically involve the expenditure of energy from 3.0 to 5.9 times the amount of energy expended at rest (METs) and include:
- walking (3.0 to 4.0 mph or faster)
- cycling under 10 mph
- ballroom dancing
- water aerobics
- general gardening
- canoeing
- tennis doubles
Vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises produce rapid breathing and large increases in the heart rate. They involve the expenditure of energy 6.0 or more times the energy expended at rest. Examples include:
- jogging or running
- race walking
- cycling at 10 mph and faster
- swimming laps
- basketball
- soccer
- aerobic dance
- fast dancing
- tennis singles
- martial arts
- jumping rope
The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
According to the Mayo Clinic, aerobic exercise provides ten major types of health benefits:
- weight control
- increased stamina
- defense against viral illnesses
- management of chronic conditions
- strengthening of the heart
- keeping the arteries clear
- boosting one’s mood
- staying active and independent as one ages
- living longer
- reducing the risk of many medical conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and some cancers.
These benefits are strong motives for engaging in regular aerobic exercise throughout life.
Setting Goals for Aerobic Fitness and Exercise
Goal-setting theory and research show that setting specific, challenging goals helps an individual focus on relevant tasks, motivates effort and persistence, and stimulates the development of strategies and action plans capable of achieving the goals. Over the years the SMART acronym has been developed to summarize key guidelines helpful in creating goals that work:
- specific
- measurable
- attainable
- relevant
- time-bound (timed with realistic milestones or deadlines)
People should get advance approval from their doctors before undertaking any new physical exercise. If a person has been inactive then any goals set need to allow for gradual progression, and if goals turn out to be too ambitious, they should be modified accordingly.
The minimum recommendation for adults capable of aerobic exercise is the accumulation of at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Ideally, these amounts of weekly exercise should be performed over five or more days per week. Greater health benefits accrue for higher levels of aerobic exercise such as five or seven hours per week of moderate-intensity activity like brisk walking.
Here are example goals and supporting strategies for a brisk walking program:
- ultimate goal: achieve and maintain a good to excellent level of aerobic fitness.
- exercise goal: gradually work up to 60 minutes of brisk walking per day within six months of starting.
- strategy A: Start with 10-15 minute brisk walks three days a week. Add one more day per week each week until walking every day by the end of month one.
- strategy B: Increase the duration of the daily brisk walks by 10 minutes per month until 60 minutes per day is reached.
- strategy C: If necessary, break daily goals down into multiple sessions of 10-minute (minimum) brisk walks.
- strategy D: Recruit family members or friends to join the walking program to enhance compliance.
- strategy E: Keep a written record of walks.
- strategy F: Create milestone goals and rewards for reaching them. (e.g., per hundred miles walked).
It’s important to choose an aerobic activity that is suitable and fun, increasing the chances that it will be performed regularly. The commitment should be lifelong and the priority should be extremely high, reflecting the excellent return of good health and longevity for the time invested.
Aerobic Exercise Leads to Better Health
The research evidence is strong that aerobic exercise improves health and longevity more than other forms of physical activity. People who take the time to educate themselves about the benefits of exercise and the risks of physical inactivity should be highly motivated to embark on a lifelong program of at least moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Setting specific, measurable aerobic exercise goals should further marshal energy, motivation and effort for the task. If made the priority that it deserves to be, perceived obstacles like the lack of time evaporate when the benefits of aerobic exercise are compared with the “benefits” of watching 20 plus hours of TV per week. Better health is available for a small fraction of those hours each week.
References:
health.gov, “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans” (accessed June 5, 2010)
mayoclinic.com, “Aerobic Exercise: Top Ten Reasons to Get Physical” (accessed June 5, 2010)
Robert McKelvie - My experience in business and pursuit of learning over the years enables me to share some of my knowledge via the web.
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