Cardiovascular Exercise

Why Should You Include Aerobics?

Cardio aerobics represent an important part of any serious attempt to lower cholesterol, no matter if you're trying to do it with or without medications. If you're trying to get your cholesterol levels under control with lifestyle changes alone, then the place of a cardio aerobics program should be fairly self evident. But why would you have to exercise if you're taking cholesterol medication? Well, drugs that are powerful enough to control cholesterol are also powerful enough to cause some serious side effects, and the probability of those side effects goes up with the dosage. Therefore, you should keep your medication dosage as low as possible, and that means eating right and a program of aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise is exercise that forces the muscles to use oxygen to burn fat and carbohydrates for energy. You're not trying to damage the muscles so they'll get stronger, but rather trying to use them enough to really start burning some energy reserves, which is one of the best ways to manage cholesterol. The best way to go about this is to use the muscles over a long period of time but without a lot of straining. You should be able to breathe freely and maintain the effort for at least five to ten minutes at a time. In contrast, the sort of exercise that doesn't use oxygen and does build muscle can only be maintained for a minute or two at a time and usually involves a great deal of strain.

There are a lot of different ways to get a proper level of cardio aerobic exercise, so it's not too hard to find something that you enjoy doing. Running is one of the most common methods, especially considering that it's quite economical. However, running is definitely not your only option. Bicycling can be quite enjoyable, considering that it is quite low impact on the joints and allows you to see quite a bit of scenery. Swimming is one of the most efficient methods of cardio aerobics because it is the easiest on the body while demanding a great deal of energy. However, no matter what form of aerobic exercise you choose, make sure that it's a kind of exercise that you can keep up with over the long term.

Cardio aerobic exercise decreases levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, though we're still not sure of the exact way it does that. It also increases vascularization throughout all the skeletal muscles of the body, which increases the circulatory demand and forces the heart to improve in order to keep up. Cardio aerobic exercise also tends to increase the overall levels of energy that you have throughout your day in addition to fighting off depression. An overall exercise plan also tends to change what the body does with extra energy over the long term, which makes physical activity a vital part of a healthy lifestyle.

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