Aerobics exercise is just one element of a larger group called cardiovascular activity. Any exercise that increases your heart rate above its normal level is considered aerobic exercise and helps in burning calories. It worked your heart, your heart muscle, and provides oxygen to the other muscles to enable them to work longer. When you engage in aerobics exercise you will see that you can do more physical activity without being out of breath.

There are many forms of aerobic exercise; an aerobics class at the gym, spinning (on a stationary bike), fast walking (on a treadmill or outdoors), steps, cross country skiing, swimming, jogging or hiking.

In a balanced fitness program, strength exercise is important as well. You can call it resistance exercise because you are working against the muscles.
Resistance exercise can be done with weights or with rubber bands which you pull to extend and flex your muscles or with machines at the gym.

It is an exercise to build muscles, get more strength and prevent lose of muscles that comes with age. One of the greatest added benefits of strength exercise, especially for older people, is when the muscles get stronger, the person is more stable on his feet, thus can avoid falls and slips.

The western modern world has brought with it amenities that we find very hard to resist, like our car of example.
In the United States, in a modern city like Los Angeles for example, we have brought the idea of a car and convenience to a new level; we drive to the corner store, we circulate the parking lot over and over again to find the closest parking spot, we take the escalator to the gym so we can spend 20 minutes on the stair-master. All we need to do in order to stay in good shape is to forgo those behaviors and start walking.

That is the main reason, expert believe, the percentage of obese people is so high in the United States. This and the fast food restaurants.

Walking is one of the best aerobic exercises that we can do without it costing us any extra money and taking just a little bit more time. It is a healthier activity than jogging which can be very hard on your knees because of the constant pounding on the pavement.

Your whole body and mind will feel the benefits of exercise. There are a few myths that have been refuted in the last few years. Let’s separate fact from fiction.

- You don’t need to go to the gym to exercise. A few items at home; a mat, an exercise ball, a few weights and you can do it at home.
- You don’t have to do push up to stay in shape. Dancing, gardening, walking are just as beneficial.