Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

The major objective in training is to cause biologic adaptations in order to improve performance in a specific ask.  This requires adherence to carefully planned and executed activities.  Attention is focused on factors such as frequency and length of workouts, type of training, speed, intensity, duration, and repetition of the activity.  To enhance physiologic improvement effectively and to bring about a training change, a specific exercise overload must be applied.  By exercising at a level above normal, a variety of training adaptations take place that cause the body to function more efficiently.


Aerobic System Adaptations
Cardiovascular and Respiratory Changes

As a general rule, aerobic capacity improves if exercise is of sufficient intensity to increase heat rate to about 70 % of maximum.  
Exercise need not be strenuous in order to obtain positive results.  An exercise heart rate of 70% maximum represents moderate exercise that can be continued for a long time with little or no discomfort.  This training level is commonly referred to as "conversational exercise" in that it is sufficiently intense to stimulate a training effect yet not so strenuous that it limits a person from talking during the workout.   It is unnecessary to exercise above this heart rate to improve physiologic capacity.   To keep pace with the training effects, the work rate must be increased periodically to achieve the threshold heart rate or whatever target heart rate has been established.  A person who began training by walking now has to walk more briskly; this is gradually replaced by jogging for periods of the workout and, eventually, continuous running required to achieve the same relative strenuousness at the desired target heart rate.  If the progression in exercise intensity is not matched with training improvements, the exercise program essentially becomes a "maintenance" program for aerobic fitness.

What is a Calorie?
A  calorie is a measure used to express the heat or energy value of food and physical activity.   It is defined as the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of  1 litre of water  1 degree Celsius from 14.5 -15.5 degrees C.    For example  if 300 Calories  is the caloric value of a particular food, then the energy trapped within the chemical bonds of this food, if released, would change the temperature of 300 litres of water by 1 degree C.  
Utilizing established medical research, we can calculate an estimate amount of calories burned from running.

 Calculate the Calories You've Burned

What is a Body Mass Index?
The body mass index is calculated from a person's height and weight,  is a reliable indicator of "fatness" in sedentary individuals, and can be used to identify health risks. The BMI is the person's weight divided by the square of the height:

body mass index

It is meant to be used as a simple means of classifying sedentary  individuals with an average body composition. For these individuals, the current value settings are as follows: a BMI of 18.5 to 25 may indicate optimal weight; a BMI lower than 18.5 suggests the person is underweight, while a number above 25 may indicate the person is overweight; a BMI below 15 may suggest the person has an eating disorder; a number above 30 indicates that the person is obese (over 40, morbidly obese).
Accuracy of this measure is compromised by variable body composition, fitness level, muscle mass, bone mass, gender, etc.

 Calculate Your Body Mass Index