Becoming active is a healthy habit to have. One of the best ways to get active is to incorporate aerobic exercise into your daily routine. Aerobic exercise can be low-impact, get your heart rate into the fat burning zone, and help to achieve weight loss goals very effectively. There are a number of additional advantages to consider, but some disadvantages to consider as well, before adding these exercises to your routine. Here is a look at the key points to consider.
The Pros of Aerobic Exercise
1. It increases a person’s metabolism for up to 24 hours.
Once you start burning calories through aerobic exercise, you’ll be able to keep burning those calories throughout the day. That means fewer calories are stored as fat because the body is using them as fuel. It only takes about 15 minutes of intense aerobic exercise to achieve this benefit for some people, which means it can be easily incorporated into a daily routine.
2. It can incorporate numerous exercises.
There are plenty of different ways to experience the benefits of aerobic exercise. Some people choose to dance. Others may choose to swim. Riding a bicycle or running on a treadmill also count as aerobic exercise. This means there is something for everyone’s personal preferences, creating fewer barriers that can be brought up to stop exercise before it starts.
3. It can be a social activity.
Some people like to run alone with their earbuds in place, listening to their favorite playlists. There is nothing wrong with that. Aerobic exercise, however, can also be a social event where people get together to walk, jog, or dance together as they are working out. You might call it the “Facebook of Exercising.”
4. It can be done anywhere and at any time.
Aerobic exercise doesn’t have to be scheduled in at a specific point every day. It can fit into whatever a person’s schedule might be. Some people even do their exercising over their lunch break at work so they can enjoy more time at home with their loved ones. Others purchase equipment so they can exercise at home instead of going to the gym. This makes it one of the most versatile of exercising options that is available today.
The Cons of Aerobic Exercise
1. It can be hard on the joints.
People who have sore joints, arthritis, or trauma due to past injury will struggle to do a lot of the available aerobic exercises that are available today. Someone with painful knee joints, for example, may be limited to using an elliptical machine or a bicycle for their aerobic exercise. Others may be forced to exercise within the confines of a swimming pool. Because it is so hard on the joints, not every exercise is actually beneficial to every person.
2. The equipment can be expensive.
Even if all you’re doing is jogging down the road for your aerobic exercise, the amount of money required for apparel can be staggering. From the shoes to the moisture-absorbing fabrics, it is easy to drop $500+ on the equipment needed for an effective workout. Unless you plan to do laundry every single day, a few outfits will typically need to be purchased and that further expands the costs. Gym memberships, performance tracking equipment, and other costs are also quite high.
3. It can get boring.
Let’s face it. Even if you’re running three miles and you’re used to it, there will be a time when you get bored. You’ll be tracking your performance in relation to where you are on your playlists. You’ll be thinking about the things that need to get done when you’re done exercising. Performing the same dance routines over and over again can make it so that you don’t even want to exercise any more. If there isn’t a way to change up the routine to make aerobic exercise more exciting, it becomes very easy to give it up for something else.
4. There isn’t a weight training option in aerobic exercises.
Aerobic exercises are all about toning and trimming the body. They don’t provide any weight training options to build strength. This means it is an effective way to slim down or lose weight, but it isn’t an effective way to build muscle. If that’s what your main fitness goal happens to be, then aerobic exercise can build up your stamina, but that’s about it.
The pros and cons of aerobic exercise show that it is possible for everyone to include it as part of their daily routine. Not everyone may be able to exercise in the same way, but to some extent that’s why this type of exercise is so beneficial. Find the aerobics that work best for you, insert them into your day, and you’ll be feeling great about it in no time at all.