It’s common knowledge that to achieve a fitness or weight loss goal, you have to exercise and eat right, which is why aerobic exercises are so important. Many people wonder, What type of exercise is most effective to see results the fastest? Aerobic exercise is definitely one of the types of exercises that will help you achieve your body goals faster.
If you want to see results sooner, you should perform fat-burning cardio exercises regularly, and aerobic exercise is cardiovascular exercise. For best results, you should do aerobic exercises every day or at least five times per week.
Examples of common aerobic exercises include speed walking, hiking, cycling, running, rollerblading, kickboxing and swimming. There are also many group fitness classes that involve aerobic exercises. But what are the most effective aerobic exercises, and why? Below are 3 of the best aerobic exercises to add to your fitness regimen:
1. Hiking
Hiking is a fantastic aerobic exercise because you get the mental health benefits of being out in nature while exercising. Although it’s a workout, hiking often feels very rewarding. Why? Because there’s a destination in mind to keep you motivated, such as a beautiful view at the top of the mountain, or a scenic lookout point at the end of the hiking trail.
Not only does hiking provide you with an aerobic (cardio) workout, it can also be a very good anaerobic (muscle building) workout. This is because many hikes involve steep trails and rocky steps that strengthen the glutes, quads and calves as you hike. People trying to shake off the dad bod love going on hikes because they get a cardio workout while also building muscle and toning their legs and glutes. Remember to activate your muscles during your hike. For example, if there’s a steep set of steps on your hike, squeeze your glutes at the top of each step. If there’s an incline, squeeze your glutes and tighten your core with each step while you hike.
Since many hikes are quite long (plenty of them are over 3 hours long) they’ll definitely help you reach your fitness goals. Long hikes burn a lot of calories and keep your body in fat-burning mode for longer. The best part is that long hikes don’t tend to feel very long, because you’re having so much fun enjoying the scenery and the various lookout points along the way.
2. Aerobics Classes
What makes aerobics classes great are that they are incredibly motivating. Besides that, aerobics classes make exercising feel fun when you have an encouraging instructor and a fun playlist. These classes are usually hour-long, but they tend to fly by. You don’t tend to slack off, as other people are taking the class with you. You’re all holding each other accountable during the course of the exercise class. These high-energy exercise classes will get your heart pumping, burn off unwanted body fat and tone your body.
Aerobics classes include kickboxing classes, spinning (cycling) classes, Zumba (dance) classes and group power or body pump fitness classes. In a body pump class, your instructor will warm your group up with exercises such as jumping jacks, followed by high-intensity exercises such as jumping squats and step-ups, and finally a cool-down phase.
Try out various aerobics classes to see which ones you like the best. Whichever classes you have fun doing and are excited to go to are the ones you should incorporate into your fitness routine. These classes burn a lot of calories and tone your body, so you’ll definitely see results if you attend these classes regularly and eat healthily.
3. Walking
People who struggle with exercising because they don’t enjoy it typically don’t mind going for a walk. The idea of going for a walk doesn’t sound daunting or exhausting – it actually sounds nice. Once you’re outside walking, the fresh air will re-energize you. Before you know it, you’re walking at a brisk pace which qualifies as aerobic exercise. In fact, brisk walking or speed walking is one of the best types of aerobic exercises to burn fat. If you can commit to a one hour walk each day, you’ll notice results. If you have the time, try going for a two-hour walk each day.
Download some addictive podcasts onto your smartphone such as the “Serial” podcast and listen to an episode while you walk every day. This is a very easy way to ensure you get your aerobic exercise every day. In addition to that, you’ll look forward to listening to your podcast episode.
Find beautiful walking trails that you enjoy, and remember that getting outside is good for your body and mind. If your work is within walking distance (about one hour away) try to walk to and from work each day. Are you working from home these days? Try breaking up your day with an afternoon walk. If you’re an early bird, start your day with a nice long walk which will help wake up your brain and get you ready for work.
Walking is known for being a fat-burning exercise, as the body uses stored fat as fuel while you walk. This means that walking every day will help you shed fat all over your body, including belly fat. If you want to add in some anaerobic exercise to your walk, try stopping every 30 minutes at a bench to do sets of 30 – 50 squats. Most walking trails have benches along the way. Be creative with your workouts! You can use a low bench to tap with your glutes to ensure your squats are low enough, then squeeze your glutes at the top after each completed squat. Once you’ve done 30 – 50 repetitions, continue your walk. You can also incorporate walking lunges every 20 – 30 minutes while you’re walking. Walking lunges tone your legs and glutes, and can easily be done during an outdoor walk.
Aerobic Exercises: The Benefits
Aerobic exercise means “with oxygen” as your breathing and heart rate increase significantly during aerobic exercises. This type of cardiovascular exercise helps keep your heart, lungs, and body healthy. Yes, doing cardio regularly will help you with weight loss and get rid of the dad bod. Furthermore, regular aerobic exercises are also very good for your long-term health.
Regularly partaking in aerobic exercises will reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, stroke and osteoporosis, as well as many other health conditions. Aerobic exercise also releases endorphins which improves your overall mood and well-being. This is why you should try to do at least one hour of aerobic exercise each day.
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