Aerobic FitnessAerobic Training Benefits for the DivaAerobic fitness or Cardiovascular (cardio) exercise refers to exercises that stimulate and improve the function of the heart and lungs. Aerobic workouts like walking, running, jogging, bicycling, jump rope, swimming, skating, skiing, rowing, tennis, basketball, use of the stair stepper or the elliptical machine, and dancing increase your cardiovascular fitness. Whew...Just reading off all of those activities is exhausting! Why don't you follow Fitness-Diva-Knows in this series as I continue to present more weight loss tips?
“A (wo)man's health can be judged by which (she)he takes two at a time - pills or stairs”. -- Joan Welsh 
Aerobic movement is rhythmic and repetitive; you are working the large muscle groups in the arms and legs for at least twenty minutes at each session. Your training for aerobic fitness will help your body to use oxygen more efficiently by conditioning the heart and lungs. This type of exercise also helps increase your endurance so that you can work, play, and love longer!
Improving Your Aerobic Fitness Aerobic training produces a fitness benefit when the heart rate (pulse) is raised to your target level for at least 20-60 minutes for three to five sessions a week. You are striving for a heart rate of 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. You don't want to feel as though your heart is thumping out of your chest, but you do want to work harder than your leisurely walk in the park. Basically, you want to feel like you are beginning to breathe harder with the effort of the aerobic workout. A way of obtaining your target heart rate range would be to calculate your 100% maximum heart rate of 220 minus your age. For example, a 35-year-old 'diva in training' would have a maximum heart rate of 185 using our calculation; training within 60% to 80% of 185 (maximum heart rate) would give her a target heart rate zone of 111 - 148 beats per minute. Here, let Fitness-Diva-Knows do the math for you: 220 - 35 =185 (maximum heart rate). Finally, to calculate the target heart rate zone at 60% - 80%, we get (185 x .60 = 111) and (185 x .80 = 148). While training, it is very important to include a brief warm-up and cool-down period of low intensity (50%-60% of your maximum heart rate) activity during the workout session. Remember, also, to gently stretch the primary muscles being used, especially during the cool-down. By performing the stretches, you will increase your muscle flexibility and promote increased blood flow. Besides, done properly, the stretches feel so, so good!
Come, take a look at what aerobic fitness classes can contribute to your
aerobic fitness.
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