What is aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise is essentially an endurance exercise carried out by the human body under a state of balance between oxygen supply and demand, and has a certain duration. The core criterion is that a steady breathing rhythm can be maintained during exercise, and there will be no serious lack of oxygen supply or breathlessness.

When I first got into fitness, I encountered pitfalls. I thought that as long as I moved vigorously, it would be effective. The first time I tried to run a five-kilometer run, I tried to run at the pace. Within two kilometers, I coughed and bent over. I couldn't even speak a complete sentence. Later, the coach told me that I had entered the state of insomnia at that time. A state where oxygen supply is the main focus is not considered a standard aerobic exercise. Slow down the speed, adjust it to a pace where you can chat with the people running at the same time around you about what you had for dinner, and run steadily for forty minutes without feeling out of breath. This is the aerobic exercise state that is truly suitable for ordinary people.

There are actually many differences in the definition of aerobic nowadays. Many marathon runners will strictly limit the heart rate zone. They believe that only exercise that maintains a heart rate between 60% and 80% of the maximum heart rate and lasts for more than 20 minutes can be considered a qualified aerobic exercise. Slow walking and bending below this intensity can only be regarded as daily activities and cannot achieve the effect of cardiopulmonary exercise; but I used to go to the Sports Rehabilitation Department for treatment because of knee discomfort. During the treatment, the doctor had a different opinion. He said that for people who have no exercise habits at all, or even have a very large weight base, there is no need to stick to this universal standard. Walking slowly for forty minutes every day, even if the heart rate has just reached 50% of the maximum heart rate, as long as the breathing is steady during exercise and there is no uncomfortable feeling in the chest, it is also a suitable aerobic exercise for him. There is no need to cause problems with joints and heart just to meet the so-called standard.

There are actually a lot of aerobic exercises that we are exposed to in our daily lives. We walk briskly around the community for 40 minutes after get off work, ask friends to ride 20 kilometers of shared bicycles to country parks on weekends, swim slowly in the swimming pool for half an hour without trying to speed up, and even the gentle square dance performed by the aunts in the community.

I have a small feeling after practicing for five or six years. I really don’t have to worry about the strict academic definition of aerobic. Find a low- to medium-intensity exercise that you can persist in and is not painful. Each exercise can last for more than half an hour. Practice three or four times a week. After a few months, you will not be out of breath when climbing stairs, and your blood lipids and blood sugar will return to normal values. The changes are more realistic than any cold standard.