Definition of Aerobics: Aerobic means with air or oxygen. You should be able to carry on a short conversation while doing aerobic exercise. If you are gasping for air while talking, you are probably working or exercising anaerobically. When you work anaerobically, you will tire faster and are more likely to experience sore muscles after exercise is over. Think of aerobic activity as being long in duration yet low in intensity. Aerobic activities include Walking, Biking, Jogging, Swimming, and cross – country skiing & aerobic classes. Anaerobic activity is short in duration and high in intensity like Weight lifting, Sprinting, Soccer and downhill skiing.

By using the same large muscle group, rhythmically, for a period of 15 to 20 minutes or longer while maintaining 55 – 85% of your maximum heart rate will give you maximum benefit in Cardio activity.

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise: In addition to cardiovascular benefits the other additional benefits are Control of body fat – Aerobic exercise in conjunction with strength training and a proper diet will reduce body fat, Increased resistance to fatigue and extra energy, Toned muscles and lean body mass, Decreased tension and aid in sleeping, Increased general stamina and Psychological benefits – Exercise improves mood, reduces depression and anxiety.

The Aerobic Curve: The aerobic curve occurs when you begin exercising, increase your intensity level, hit the high point and gradually decrease your intensity level. The goal when exercising aerobically is to hit your target heart rate and maintain it for the entire exercise session. This works the muscle more effectively and burns more calories. It is not ok to stop in the middle of an aerobic activity because your body is sending extra blood to the muscles.

Stopping suddenly can lead to muscle cramping and dizziness – that is why all aerobic activity have a warm up and cool down mode at the beginning and end of every exercise.

Targeted Heart Rate: To determine your targeted heart rate – [1] First reduce your age from 220, then calculate your lower heart rate at 60% of that figure and your upper heart rate at 80% of that figure. If you exercise within your targeted heart rate you will benefit most. It is harmful and dangerous to exercise beyond 85% of your targeted heart rate.

Exercise Frequency: Cardiovascular exercise is an ongoing process and requires consistent reinforcement. To maintain your current level of fitness you should do aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week. To increase your level of fitness, try exercising 4 to 5 times a week.

Remember to consult your physician prior to beginning a new exercise program – Stop exercise if you feel pain, Nausea or Dizziness.

No matter what your fitness level is or what your goals are, you will look and feel better when you regularly participate in an exercise program. To be successful you must incorporate it into your lifestyle – just like eating and sleeping.

Stretching to increase Flexibility: Flexibility is defined as the range of motion around the joint. Within each joint there is an optimum ROM necessary for peak performance. Factors that affect flexibility are 1. Age – as we age our joints loose some of their flexibility 2. Inactivity – Causes joints to loose their flexibility because connective tissue shortens 3. Gender – Women tend to be more flexible than men are 4. Body type and Strength training – Flexibility is specific to each individual because everyone has a different muscle structure, joint structure and genetic composition

The good news is that with training [Stretching] your degree of flexibility can be increased. Also the other benefits of stretching include – Reduces muscle soreness, Reduces risk of injury, Improves relaxation both physical and mental and reduces stress.

BASIC STRETCHING EXERCISES – BOTH FOR WARM UP AND COOL DOWN

Before starting an exercise program it is advisable to do some stretching exercises in order to warm up and the same stretches is recommended as a cool down after your exercise program is completed.

While these low intensity aerobic activity exercises are done you must move into a stretch until a slight tension but not pain is felt in the muscles of your body. Each stretch exercise must be done for 20 to 30 seconds. Your breathing must be slow and rhythmical. Never hold your breath during stretching exercises.

Body building for muscular strength, Tone and Endurance:

Muscular strength is defined as the maximum force that can be exerted by a muscle or muscle group. Muscular endurance is the capacity of a muscle to repeatedly exert force or to maintain a fixed contraction for a period of time. Anytime you are lifting the same item over and over again you are displaying muscular endurance. Muscle tone refers to the firmness of your muscles. Both endurance and strength exercise will improve muscle tone.

The different methods available to improve muscular strength, endurance and tone are – Weight stations [Independent or station Gyms], Free weights/Hand weights, Tubing / Bands and Calisthenics such as push – UP’s, triceps dips and abdominal crunches.

Before you choose your method of training you should determine your current fitness level.

In general if you want to firm up and tone your muscles you should stick with fitness levels 1 & 2. If you want to build muscle then you should strive and work to fitness level 3.

After you select a level you will notice that within each is a strength component, an aerobic component and a flexibility component. In order to see results you must do some type of aerobic activity to decrease body fat and you should also stretch the muscles before and after strength training. This will decrease your chance of injuring the muscle and will help the more serious body builder lift more weight.

Benefits of Strength Training:

[1] Strengthening of your bones, [2] Reshaping your body, [3] Increasing your metabolism & [4] Improving your posture.

A special note to Women:

It is found that many women are afraid to lift weights because they don’t want large muscles. Your genetic makeup determines what types of muscle fibers you have, how they are distributed, the ratio of estrogen to testosterone and how body fat is stored. It also determines body type.

There is only one body type that has a tendency to build muscle – The Mesomorph [Mesomorphs tend to be more muscular]. The other two body types - Endomorph [more rounded, hour glass figures] and Ectomorph [Slim and linear in shape] will not get ‘bigger’ muscles from weight lifting because their bodies respond to weight training differently than Mesomorphs. In fact, an Ectomorph and a Mesomorph can be on the exact same training regimen and the Mesmorphs will increase in size while the Ectomorph will just get stronger and not bigger.

It may be hard to determine what body type you have; many people are a combination of more than one type. If you notice that you are building muscle in addition to toning and this is not the look you desire. Then decrease the amount of weight you are using and increase the number of repetitions – Go for endurance rather than strength. This way you should see your desired results – more muscle tone without increase in muscle size.

Important USER guidelines to Strength training:

Don’t exercise if you have a medical condition such as herniated disc, torn muscle, sprained ankle, etc. Check with your doctor first before you begin a flexibility program.

Why Warm UP and Cool Down:

To be safe an aerobic program should begin with a warm up period. The main purpose of warming up is to increase your heart rate slightly. This has two benefits – [1] it raises your core body temperature, and [2] it increases the blood {oxygen} flow to your muscles to prepare your body for more vigorous physical activity.

Your muscles and tendons {which attach your muscles to your bones} will be more flexible for stretching after mild movement has raised your internal body temperature. These flexibility helps you increase the range of motion of your joints and may help you avoid injuries such as muscle tears and pulls.

What muscles should I warm up: Focus on warming up large muscle groups – Quadriceps, Calves, Chest, etc? Runners, Walkers, Bikers and the Elliptical users should begin their exercise with a fast walk for 3 to 5 minutes followed by gradual increase to the actual run itself. The same applies to cycling and cross training on the elliptical.

Why Cool Down: After you’ve reached and maintained your training heart rate level in the aerobic portion of your class, it is important to recover gently. The cool down serves two purposes – 1] it reduces your pulse and 2] it returns the blood to your heart in sufficient quantities to rid the muscles of Lactic acid [a chemical result of muscular fatigue.] If you stop suddenly the blood will pool in your legs instead of returning to your heart. Dizziness, Nausea and a ‘worn out’ feeling are common symptoms of an improper cool down. A safe cool down period is at least 3 minutes, preferably 4 to 5 minutes. All cool downs should be followed by stretching of the muscles to avoid soreness and tightness.

Just a word of warning regarding Cardio equipment and calories burnt.

Many Cardio machines if not all don’t ask for your weight and tell you that you’re burning X number of calories. The number displayed is for a person of average weight [Usually average is 150 pounds]. For many people the number of calories is overstated.

Eat for health & weight management

More Salads & Less Fried foods is the key.