Post-Natal Fitness: Aerobic Workout

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

12 Dec 2006 11:06 AM

Aerobic workouts are about maximizing the oxygen demands of the body, increasing your heart rate and respiration and generating some good old-fashioned healthy sweat. Any workout program you are going to engage in is going to have an aerobic component. Kaye Siders wrote about a great program she used called The Firm and there are some definite advantages to that program so you might want to check it out.

Among my library of fitness programs is the XBox Yourself!Fitness - this is a gaming system workout that can also be purchased for the Playstation 2. This is a great option for your aerobic workout because you can program it for personalizing your workout and it will periodically test you and increase the intensity as needed.

Stroller Moms

I talked about the stroller mom programs that are cropping up all over the country and you can even start your own stroller mom program with other moms in your local area. You can get out and walk, pushing your baby, pausing to do stretches, lifts and more - it's a great way to get your heart rate up and more.

That's the key to a positive aerobic program. You want to elevate your heart rate to a minimum of 60% of your target heart rate. For most of us - that's going to be around 140 to 160 beats per minute. Most aerobic exercise is going to utilize your legs because they are the largest muscle groups in your body and they require the most amount of oxygen.

So as you look for your aerobic component, you are looking for something that will get you up and moving 3 to 5 days per week for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. You may want to alternate your aerobic with any strength-training program you want to engage, but even if it's only every other day - an aerobic program can increase your metabolism and help you to begin burning off unwanted inches, while increasing your endurance and more.

Finding the Aerobic Workout That Works for You

There are a multitude of options for your aerobic workout including, but hardly limited to:

• Walking or Running
• Cycling
• Skating
• Jump Roping
• Dancing
• Step Aerobics
• Skiing
• Elliptical Workout

These are just a few ideas, when you pinpoint the one that you enjoy, you can dive into your workout. Most of these aerobic workouts can be done from home and don't require a gym membership. For many new moms, walking is the ideal choice because you can do it anywhere and anytime. You can take your newborn in a stroller and you can walk outdoors or in - whether it's on the sidewalk or in a mall. You can utilize a pedometer as well to utilize the steps program and increase the number of steps you take in a day.

So, for the best post-natal fitness results, incorporate an aerobic component. What aerobic component do you utilize?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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