The term ‘aerobic exercise’ involves low-to-moderate intensity rhythmic movement of large muscle groups for an extended period of time. This type of exercise includes walking, cycling and swimming. This is the best form of exercise to do if you want to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.
This form of exercise should be encouraged on most days of the week. When choosing to do this manner of exercising, consider the following:
- If you are likely to suffer from ischaemia, reduce the intensity and duration of exercise or reduce the physiological demand, which is the muscle mass utilised at any given time. Your exercise heart rate should be at least between five and 10 beats per minute below the ischaemic threshold.
- The symptoms which may limit your tolerance for aerobic exercise may vary according to the modality of exercise. For example, a rowing machine, which employs a large volume of muscle mass simultaneously, is likely to cause dyspnoea as the limiting symptoms. A stationary bicycle, which isolates the lower limb musculature, is more likely to include localised muscle fatigue
What is dyspnoea?
The expression ‘dyspnoea’ refers to a sudden as well as:
- A dire shortness of breath, or
- Difficulty experienced in breathing.
It is one of the widespread causes of visits to the emergency room. Breathlessness may be typical after exercise or, alternatively, exertion. Nevertheless, this typically resolves after rest and is not severe.
Breathlessness which comes on suddenly as well as unexpectedly may be a signal of an underlying medical condition. The problem may be in the heart or in the lungs.
Tailor the exercise to the individual
As a personal trainer, you should always tailor any type of exercise to the individual doing it. Orthopaedic limitations may dictate the type, frequency and duration of the aerobic exercise in order to prevent exacerbating the symptoms related to this type of injury.
Chose a mode of aerobic exercise that you enjoy and tolerate without pain or residual fatigue. The regularity of physical activity is a significant part of attaining cardiovascular benefits.
How often should you do aerobic exercise?
Evidence-based guidelines promote regular, moderate aerobic exercise for approximately 30 minutes at least five days a week. Begin with exercise between three and four days a week (in order words ever second day) and progress to most days of the week.
If you’re a personal trainer, you should encourage your clients to exercise on the days that they don’t see you. This is so that they have a mix of supervised and unsupervised sessions.
The frequency of aerobic exercise will be guided by how well your client is, how motivated they are as well as how committed they are to exercising and improving their health and wellness. People with a very limited tolerance for exercise may require multiple bouts of exercise – which are of short duration – in order to build themselves up.
What are the benefits of aerobic exercise?
There are several benefits of regularly doing aerobic exercise. Here are some of them:
- Increasing your stamina and endurance
- Reducing stress as it activates endorphins which causes a natural high and sense of well-being
- Reducing your risk of heart disease as well as stroke
- Strengthening your immune system
- Strengthening your bones and joints
- Increasing the number of calories you burn
- Strengthening your heart as well as your lungs so that they will work more efficiently
- Decreasing a woman’s risk of breast cancer
- Decreasing your blood pressure and cholesterol
Aerobic exercise is chock-full of benefits, and you don’t need to spend a lot of time doing it to reap the rewards. There is no time such as the present to get started with aerobic exercise. Go ahead and set that weekly plan right now, and then get down to it!
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