Aerobic fitness is like a fountain of youth. The more aerobically fit you are, the younger you feel. And feeling younger gives you a rush of confidence that also makes you appear younger and stronger.
What Is Aerobic Fitness?
A simple definition of aerobic fitness is this: It’s a level of exertion that increases the delivery of oxygen to your muscles, enabling them to work longer.
Unfit people experience shortness of breath when doing normal activities, like bending over to pick up a child, or doing housework or yard work. Bending over to take laundry out of the clothes dryer can be a challenge for an overweight person who has a low level of aerobic fitness.
When you improve your aerobic fitness, you will no longer gasp for breath when you play with your children or walk up a flight of stairs.
How Can I Improve My Aerobic Fitness?
There is only one way to improve aerobic fitness…by aerobic exercise. That may sound hard, but it’s not. Walking is aerobic exercise. You can get to the fountain of youth by putting one foot in front of the other and walking.
Some people like to listen to music when they exercise. They find that keeping the beat to music inspires them to keep moving.
Others enjoy walking with friends and say knowing they have an aerobic fitness partner motivates them.
If you like to walk but lack the motivation to get out there and walk every day, try wearing a pedometer that counts your steps every day. It’s fun to find out how many steps you take in a typical day, and then it’s even more fun to see if you can add just a few steps a day, then a few steps more, and more, until you are walking almost everywhere you go.
Some people don’t enjoy aerobic fitness exercises, but they know aerobic fitness adds years to their lives. When they exercise on stationary aerobic fitness machines, these people like to zone out by reading magazines, listening to audio books, or watching television shows.
Improving your aerobic fitness is a sure way to look and feel better.
