Aerobic fitness refers to the capacity of the cardiorespiratory system, or the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can use for a prolonged period of time. Increasing your aerobic fitness has several health benefits, including improved cardiorespiratory efficiency, blood circulation and self-esteem, along with reduced stress and blood pressure. You can use different modalities to increase aerobic fitness, but regardless of your method, the four
keys to increasing aerobic fitness are frequency, intensity, time and variety.
Step 1
Maintain a workout frequency of three to five days per week. According to the American Council of Exercise Guidelines, you need to perform cardiovascular exercise at least three days per week to improve aerobic fitness. Start with light cardiovascular exercise every other day and gradually increase the frequency to five days per week. The two rest days allow your body to rest and recover from the workouts. Create a schedule that includes allocated time for a workout. Consider work, family, and personal time and schedule accordingly.
Step 2
Focus on intensity during the workout. Exercising at the proper intensity ensures that you are increasing aerobic fitness. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the guidelines for intensity levels range from 60 to 90 percent of your maximal heart rate. Exercising at intensities below the guideline won’t adequately increase your aerobic fitness while intensity above the guideline increases your chance for injury. One of the most effective ways to reach appropriate intensity levels is to use interval training. Perform an exercise, such as running or swimming, for a given work interval followed by a rest period. For example, run as far as possible for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, then repeat for a total of eight cycles.
Step 3
Work out for the correct duration, or length of time spent exercising. Each workout should last a minimum of 20 minutes to promote aerobic fitness and burn body fat. Gradually increase the duration of each workout as your aerobic fitness increases. For beginners, start with about 10 to 12 minutes, including a five minute warm-up. Increase by two minutes until you reach 20 minutes per workout.
Step 4
Add variety to the workouts. Staying motivated is one of the most important keys to increasing aerobic fitness, and adding variety can maintain your interest. You can find a workout partner to try new exercises or participate in aerobic classes at the fitness club. Aerobic exercises include running, rowing, cycling or swimming.
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