Put Your Heart Into It: Aerobic Activity for Heart Health
Which burns more calories? Strolling a few kilometers through a park for 20 minutes or running a 13-minute kilometer on the high school track? Guess what? They both burn the same number of calories!
The two activities, however, do differ in another way. While the stroll is a pleasant calorie burner, the run is an aerobic calorie burner. Aerobic activities are those that increase your body’s oxygen use, like walking at a 6.5-kilometers-per-hour pace or enthusiastic ballroom dancing. If your doctor approves, try to include some aerobic activities in your physical activity program. They’ll help improve the health of your heart and blood vessels.
This Active Living article focuses on three points:
- How aerobic physical activity helps improve your health
- How to select aerobic activities that will work for you
- How to monitor your cardiovascular fitness
Reaping the Benefits of Aerobic Activity
Your third Active Living article described the benefits of being physically active. Here’s a list of benefits you’ll get when you add additional aerobic activities to your program:
- Many people who enjoy aerobic activity talk about how good it makes them feel. This is because the body responds to aerobic activity by making chemicals called endorphins. These natural chemicals affect mood by reducing depression and improving pain tolerance.
- Better blood sugar control comes from the way the body uses fuel during aerobic activities. When you’re at rest, your body fuels itself by burning a mix of about 60 percent fat and 40 percent carbohydrates. Your body draws on blood sugar to fuel itself, and that results in a lower blood sugar level. With time, aerobic activity will help increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Increased insulin sensitivity also contributes to better blood sugar control.
- Aerobic activities burn calories, so they can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
- Aerobic activities improve your endurance by making your heart and lungs more fit. These types of activities increase your body’s need for oxygen. During the activities, your heart pumps oxygen-loaded blood through blood vessels to deliver oxygen to all of your body’s tissues. Over time, your heart gets stronger and can pump more blood with less work. Muscles get better at taking oxygen from the blood and using stored body fat and carbohydrates for fuel. The net result is greater endurance. By making aerobic activities part of your physical activity program, you’ll eventually find that you’re less tired and able to get more done each day.
- Aerobic activities can help prevent or delay diabetes-related cardiovascular disease. In addition to improving the efficiency of heart and blood vessels, aerobic activity can reduce the levels of circulating “bad” (LDL) cholesterol while increasing levels of “good” (HDL) cholesterol.
Activities to Get Your Heart Pumping
You should do aerobic activities at intensities of 13 to 14 (somewhat hard to hard) on the Borg scale. Here are examples of aerobic activities you might enjoy:
- Brisk walking
- Bicycling
- Swimming
- Aerobic dancing
- Racket sports
- Rowing
- Ice or roller skating
- Using aerobic equipment like a treadmill or stationary bike
- Chair aerobics
- Water aerobics
“The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be exercise, eat right, and laugh a few times a day.”
Michael Miller, M.D., Center for Preventive Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical Center
Aerobic activities are often called “high impact” or “low impact.” With low-impact aerobics, one foot always stays on the floor, supporting the weight of the body. With high-impact aerobics, both feet are off the floor at certain points. The downside of high-impact activities is that they may be hard on your joints. Low-impact aerobics may be better for you because they reduce wear and tear on your joints and feet.
Depending on your lifestyle and fitness goals, this chart will help you choose an aerobic activity that’s best suited for you and that you’ll enjoy.
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Upside
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Downside
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Brisk Walking
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An excellent, whole-body activity
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Virtually none. Make sure you have good shoes (see Active Living article 2 for tips for finding the right shoes for you)
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Swimming
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Excellent for heart and lungs
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Very little except for availability of pool or other water
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Bicycling
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Great for your heart and lungs, legs, and hips. Can be done outside or inside on a stationary bike.
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Outside, danger from other vehicles (wear a helmet and reflective clothing)
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Circuit Training
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Tones your muscles while strengthening your heart and lungs
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May need help from a personal trainer to get started. Avoid pulled and strained muscles by learning correct technique from a certified trainer.
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Aerobics
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Contributes to your flexibility, cardiovascular strength, and coordination. Trims and tones your entire body.
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Very little. And, if you like dancing, this is for you.
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Summary
- Aerobic activities are those that increase your body’s oxygen use.
- Aerobic activities help improve your blood sugar control and your heart health.
- You can walk, bicycle, dance, or swim. Pick activities that you think are fun.
