Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise burns fat and calories, helps you to lose weight, strengthens your heart muscle, increases your ability to use oxygen and relieves stress. It is important for everyone to get aerobic exercise at least three to five times per week for 20 to 60 minutes.

To keep your exercise routine fresh and fun, vary your activities whenever possible. Aerobic exercises are very effective in strengthening the heart and lungs, strengthening the organ's ability to contract. Stronger contractions mean an improved, stronger blood flow, in turn making a body better equipped for exercise. It is also a good aid for loosing weight. As beneficial as aerobic exercise is, however, it's not enough to add muscle and shape to your body.

Not all sport activities provide an effective aerobic workout. If you participate in a sport where the action is not continuous, or where players are often substituted in play for short periods of time, you may need more aerobic activity to balance out your fitness routine or to achieve weight loss.

Aerobic sports include cycling, hiking, running, and tennis.
An aerobics class will improve cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength, coordination and balance.

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A typical aerobic class should have the following format:

Warm-up (5-10 minutes): Marching in place and step-touches are common. The warm-up will also include stretching exercises to increase muscle flexibility and prevent injury.

Aerobic segment (20 to 50 minutes): Common exercises include knee lifts, light jogging, leg kicks, lunges, grapevines, calisthenics and/or various dance movements.

Cool-down (5 to 10 minutes): Gradually reduces the heart rate and decreases blood flow to the muscles. The cool-down involves slower, less intense movements of the large muscles. It is also important to perform stretching exercises during the cool-down.
After the aerobics session, the body needs time to recover and grow. Alternating days and staggering intensity of workout can aid in your overall development and prevent injury. Paying attention to your body's messages -- soreness, tension, aches -- can help you figure out when to work and when to rest.