AEROBIC FITNESS

The endurance to sustain an activity that brings your heart rate up to 70 to 80 percent for a prolonged period of time is considered to be aerobic fitness.

Walking, running, climbing a hill,  swimming, biking and or dancing are activities that can elevate the heart rate to the appropriate levels; however, the activity must also be sustained for over twelve minutes to be aerobic.

Aerobic is the oxygenation of the blood and muscles that is accomplished with the activity lasting over twelve minutes.

A strenuous activity that last less than twelve minutes are called anaerobic and uses short bursts of energy.

Aerobic fitness allows the body to metabolize stored body fat as well as carbohydrates that are in the system to fuel the body in its activity.

Oxygen is pulled from the air when the body breathes deeply due to the increased activity level and increased heart rate and transferred from the lungs to the bloodstream and then into the muscles. Aerobic fitness is indicated by the maximal oxygen uptake of the body.

The more accustomed to the physical activity the body becomes it takes more to reach the maximal oxygen uptake. This means a brisk walk of 4 miles per hour may be your aerobic fitness level when you first begin; however, after working at this level for a month or two it will take a jog to obtain the maximal oxygen uptake.

The age and sex of a person also determines the aerobic fitness level, although the fitness level can always be improved with training.

The fitness level is usually greatest around the age of 18 or 19 in the male and between 15 and 20 in the female. The levels decrease with age; however, the male’s maximal oxygen uptake remains higher than the female’s. This is largely related to the body fat ratio and the larger muscle content in the male body.

Aerobic fitness is directly related to the health of a person, particularly the health of the heart. Over 800,000 people in the United States die from coronary artery disease each year. A number of studies have shown that the most important factor that is responsible for coronary artery disease is inactivity.

The risk factor of inactivity is twice as important as high cholesterol risk factors and four times as high blood pressure risk factors. The fact is aerobic exercise reduces the risk of dying from a heart attack and is important in the recovery of people who have suffered a heart attack.

Aerobic fitness also becomes essential in times of emergency such as floods, earthquakes or other crisis. The body’s ability to endure heightened levels of activity may be the difference in surviving the need for sustained walking, swimming, climbing or other activities that often accompany a crisis.

The aerobic fitness level in a person is also an important factor in development as well as aging. A 60 year old person who is not aerobically fit may actually have the body age of 80 years or more while an aerobically fit 60 year old person may have the body age of a 40 year old person. Not only can the lifespan be greatened with fitness but it can be given a higher level of quality.