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Heart Healthy Aerobic ExerciseAerobic exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate, such as walking, running, jumping rope, swimming, playing tennis, dancing. As you raise your heart rate, you are working your heart muscle harder. It gets stronger and does it’s job better, pumping oxygenated blood through your system to the vital organs and the brain, and clearing away cholesterol and triglycerides. Rhythmically pumping your legs keeps blood from pooling around your ankles and forces it back toward the heart. Cellulite-dimpled legs smooth out. Varicose veins appear smaller. It also prevents many of the chronic diseases of aging, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, swollen feet and legs. It has been said that if exercise came in a pill, it would be the most prescribed medicine there is. SUGGESTED AEROBIC EXERCISESFor convenience, walking fits most of our lifestyles. It doesn’t require any special equipment, except a decent pair of shoes. A modestly priced brand that fits well will do fine. Find a pleasant place to walk, or listen to music on your walkman (or ipod?).Jogging, swimming, in-line skating or bicycling may be your cup of tea. Or put on some music with a beat and dance. If it is convenient and you like group activities, take an aerobics class. But be careful. If you are a beginner, try to find a class for beginners. If it is too advanced, you could get discouraged. The activities are more of the once-a-week kind of workout. They include such things as hiking, playing tennis, salsa dancing at a club. Make sure they fit the criteria of an aerobic exercise. Do they raise your heart rate? (No, riding a mower doesn’t count!) If not, they may be strength building. That’s OK, too. Start each workout with a 5 minute warm-up. Work briskly for the middle part, then return to 5 minutes at an easy pace to cool down. In the brisk middle part, you should breath harder than normal, but not be out of breath. If you haven’t exercised much in the last 6 months, limit your brisk period to 10 minutes. Add 2 minutes each workout until you are doing 30-60 minutes. Can’t find 30 minutes in your day for aerobic exercise, much less 60? Do three 20-minute sessions. Get up 20 minutes earlier. Warm up 5 minutes, do 10 minutes of brisk aerobics, then do a 5 minute cool-down. Repeat at lunch time and again in the evening. Don't forget to stretch before and after each aerobic exercise regimen
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