Aerobic Fitness - Definition

Though all aerobic activity can be called exercise, not all exercise is aerobic, which means "with air" or "in the presence of air." Participating in an activity that requires your heart to beat faster and for your body to expend energy continuously over a period of time qualifies as aerobic exercise.

  1. History

    • Dr. Kenneth Cooper is considered by many to be the father of the modern fitness movement. In 1968, he launched an exciting new trend in movement which he termed aerobics. Dr. Cooper's definition of aerobics was: "method of physical exercise for producing beneficial changes in the respiratory and circulatory systems by activities which require meeting a modest increase in oxygen intake and so can be maintained." Jogging, cycling, tennis, rope jumping and aerobic dance classes remain popular today.

    Testing Aerobic Capacity

    • Dr. Cooper's 12 minute walk/run test remains the most-widely used by law enforcement, government and professional athletes around the world. To complete the 12-minute test, run, jog or walk for 12 minutes. Fitness is calculated based on the distance covered during the test. Shape Up America provides an easy to use online calculator to measure test results at http://www.shapeup.org/fitness/assess/aerobic1.php

    Heart Rate Recovery

    • The speed at which your heart rate returns to pre-exercise levels is also an indicator of aerobic fitness. Take your heart rate immediately upon completion of three minutes of intense exercise, and again after two minutes, then subtract the second number from the first. A healthy heart would show a decrease of 15 beats per minute or more. Those with a drop of 12 or less beats were at a greater risk for death from heart disease than those with normal heart-rate recovery.

    Improve Cardiovascular Function

    • Though aerobics is instrumental in stress relief and burning stored body fat, the most significant change to the body is improved cardiovascular function. Stroke volume increases dramatically, which means your heart pumps more blood with each beat, thus requiring fewer beats per minute. Total blood volume and the amount of hemoglobin present also increases with aerobic exercise, resulting in more oxygen being delivered to muscles and organs of the body.

    How to Improve Aerobic Fitness

    • Your goal is to increase aerobic activity on three levels: intensity, duration and frequency. Walking is generally considered to be light intensity activity. The intermittent heavy breathing and exertion of a full-court basketball game or jogging is high-level aerobic activity. Slowly increase duration to at least 30 minutes per day, a minimum of five times per week. Periodically check your heart rate to keep it within safe zones as you build your fitness level; a heart rate monitor makes the task convenient and easy.

    Warning

    • Avoid overdoing it when starting a new fitness program; start slowly and build gradually and stay within your target heart range. Calculate THR by subtracting your age from 220, then exercise with your heart rate at 60 to 65 percent of that number if you have health problems or cardiovascular disease; 70 to 75 percent for the average healthy exerciser; and 80 to 85 percent for challenging intervals or athlete-level aerobic training.