Cardiovascular Endurance

Many terms are broadly synonymous with cardiovascular endurance, including aerobic fitness, aerobic capacity, and endurance. For my purpose, I emphasize the ability of the heart to deliver oxygen to the working muscles and their ability to use that oxygen. Many people think that physical activity and exercise are synonymous, but although exercise is a type of physical activity, not all physical activities are exercise (Whaley and Kaminisky 2001). For example, working in your yard is a physical activity and does have some health benefits, but it is not exercise. The best aerobic exercises are activities that raise your heart rate to a training level, last more than about five minutes, are repetitive in nature, and use a large muscle mass.

Some of the most common aerobic exercises are walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling. Exercise performed on indoor equipment can also be aerobic, if it is rhythmic in nature and uses a large muscle mass. Devices that simulate cross-country skiing, stair stepping, and rowing (along with many new devices on the market) can be used for aerobic exercise. Other activities, such as aerobics classes and tennis, do have some aerobic benefits. Because they usually involve only short bursts of activity, however, they do not produce the same degree of cardiovascular conditioning (although some of them may be appropriate for you). I address alternative exercise programs, especially group activities, in chapter 6 and give you pointers on what to look for in a class, if your goal is improved cardiovascular fitness.

Not only does aerobic exercise improve circulation to the muscles and joints, but the rhythmic nature of the activities also seems to help lubricate joints, thereby decreasing pain. Aerobic exercise is one of the easiest ways to reduce the stiffness associated with arthritis. An additional benefit is better maintenance of bone mass, which slowly starts decreasing after our 20s and can be a major health problem (Westby 2001; Minor et al. 1989).