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Aerobic Activities List

Aastha Dogra
Here is a list of some of the most effective aerobic activities, along with tips for performing these exercises.
If there is one activity without which an exercise program is considered incomplete, it has to be the aerobic exercises. Some of the examples are running, swimming, rope-skipping, jogging, and cycling.
These exercises have many positive effects on the body. They help keep the weight gain in check. They also increase the flexibility of the joints as well as the muscles, thus preventing injuries. These cardiovascular exercises improve the lung capacity. They also strengthen the heart and increase the oxygen in the body.
Researches show that by undertaking any of the aerobic activities everyday, the incidence of heart diseases reduces considerably.

List of Exercises

Following is a list, from which you can take your pick of the best exercises depending upon your fitness goals as well as fitness levels:
  • Walking
  • Running and jogging
  • Swimming
  • Cycling
  • Aerobics dancing
  • Sprinting
  • Rowing
  • Playing sports such as tennis and football
  • Rope-skipping
  • Stair climbing
  • Water aerobics
  • Performing step-ups
  • Boxing
  • Skating
  • Performing household activities like vacuuming, gardening, lawn mowing, and snow shoveling

How to Choose Them

The choice of activities for kids as well as adults depends upon a lot of factors, the most important being their individual fitness level. If you are a beginner who has never exercised before, you should opt for walking since it is a low-impact activity.
For those of you who have average fitness levels, rope-jumping, and swimming are an ideal choice. Once your overall strength improves and your fitness levels peak, you can start performing high-intensity activities such as boxing or running.
If you are looking for an exercise that will help you lose weight fast, choose the one in which most of your body parts are exercised. Kick boxing or playing any sport are some examples of cardio exercises in which almost all parts of your body such as arms, legs, back, hips, abdomen, etc., are exercised, and thus fats are lost from all over the body.
Another alternative is to cross train by undertaking low-impact activities first and then follow it up by high-impact ones, and then again low impact ones and so on. This way the body will burn calories and at the same time the body is rested enough to avoid any kind of injuries.

Schedule

To prevent heart disease and lose weight, the cardio exercises should be undertaken at least thrice a week.
Although, studies show that undertaking them for as little as ten minutes, a couple of times in a day, can do wonders for your health. Still, if you can perform them for a longer duration, anywhere between thirty to sixty minutes thrice a week, at your target heart rate, it will be much more beneficial.
Also, if you are undertaking these exercises for weight loss, the ideal time to exercise is immediately after a weight-training session or first thing in the morning, as during these times, the glycogen reserves of the body are near to zero and the body is in a fat-burning stage.
Thus, these activities are beneficial for the heart health and body fitness. That's why, they should be performed every alternate day.
Undertaking different aerobic activities on different days of the week will ensure that you do not get bored and are able to maintain the exercise routine. Combine these exercises with a healthy, balanced diet, and drink a gallon of water everyday to improve your overall health and fitness.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is solely for educating the reader, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.