The word ‘aerobic’ means with oxygen, and the body’s aerobic system includes the heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles. The benefits of aerobic exercise depend on how well your body can deliver oxygen to your muscles and use it for energy. Regular aerobic exercises increase your body’s capacity to transport that oxygen, and improve your aerobic capacity. Aerobic exercises boost your mood, strengthen your heart muscles, help you maintain your weight, and even lower blood sugar levels. It also increases your stamina and helps you deal with stress. A session of vigorous aerobic exercise can help you rejuvenate after a stressful day. It also improves sexual performance.

Step aerobics is a great way of getting the oxygen to flow through your body and getting your cardiovascular system working. While traditional aerobic exercises are rigid and done without music, step aerobics involve dance steps set to music, which not only work the muscles but also set the heart pumping. The motion goes up and down to music, instead of forward and backward as is the case with conventional structured aerobic exercises. Beginners are advised to use four inch steps, as they are the lowest, and gradually increase the height by 2 inches, as their fitness levels increase.

Form is extremely important in aerobic exercise. It is useful to work out in front a mirror in order to ensure that all your postures are correct. Make sure you do not lean forward and put too much pressure on your back. Your shoulders must be kept back and head up. Your feet should meet at the same position on the platform; and as you step off the platform your toe should hit the floor first, then the ball of your foot, and finally the heels. While putting your foot down from the platform, do not extend it too far back, as keeping balance might be difficult. Never bend your knees more than 90 degrees. It is a good idea to move at a comfortable pace in order to avoid injuries as a result of over-exertion. This sort of aerobic exercise is preferred to traditional aerobic exercise because it is more enjoyable.

Apart from step aerobics, there are other conventional forms of aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, etc. These kinds of exercises also include machine workouts, although such exercises are monotonous and far less enjoyable. Aerobic exercises that involve aerobic dancing help majorly toward mood upliftment, thus ensuring not only physical but also mental health. Beginners should start with about 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 to 4 times a week. As the fitness levels increase, these can gradually be increased to as long as 50 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week.

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