Increasing Aerobic Capacity

Health and fitness involves flexibility, stamina, strength and also aerobic capacity. Aerobic activities or exercise are those that require the heart and lungs to process oxygen at a steady rate over a period of time. Jogging, walking and swimming develop health and stamina, endurance and aerobic fitness or aerobic capacity, the ability to keep going without placing undue strain on the heart and lungs.

When people have less aerobic capacity or fitness exertion can place a strain on the heart muscle. One of the ways to reduce the health risk of heart disease is to increase the physical fitness, but if people have not exercised for some time or they already have heart disease they need to speak to their health professional before they start aerobic exercises. Measuring aerobic capacity or fitness is usually done on a treadmill with a number of equipment that enables a measurement of the aerobic capacity or breathing rate, heart rate, speed and the grade of the incline and the number of minutes achieved in the test.

The results that come out in metabolic equivalents of the task or METs is a number used to rate the ability of the body to produce energy needed to perform certain aerobic activities. For example, 1 MET is equivalent to the amount of oxygen needed for sitting at rest or lying down. The greater effort required to perform a particular activity the greater the number of MET count expended. Walking at a certain speed of about 2 miles per hour expends 2 to 3 METs. Boosting the walking speed to 4 miles per hour requires about 5 METs and jogging at a constant speed of 5 miles per hour requires about 8 METs.

The highest METs that people can achieve during an exercise test are known as their maximal MET level. Average people have 8 to 12 MET capacities. This reading means that at maximal exercise they can perform 8 to 12 times the amount of oxygen that they consume at rest. Aged, unhealthy or people with several ailments generally average 5 to 8 METs whereas highly trained endurance athletes have been measured at 15 to 20 METs or more.

Having higher METs is important for aerobic capacity or cardiac health. However being tested on a treadmill with this parameters is not very convenient so more practical ways to estimate aerobic fitness have been developed. The Duke Activity Status Index has been developed to determine the aerobic capacity or whether aerobic fitness is an issue for an individual or not. In this process, points are allocated to each of the groups of certain aerobic activities. People need to add up the points that they achieve when they are able to answer yes to the questions.

One way of reducing the risk of heart disease is to increase the physical fitness or aerobic capacity. People need to start this gradually and a good way to begin is just increase the general activity that they have in each day. At the same time as the intensity of the exercise get increased people can also improve the strength and elasticity of their arteries by cleansing then. A good Health Guide can provide people with the information they need on how to increase aerobic capacity effectively.

• Janny Raines
• 25/12/2008, 2:59 AM
• 0 Comments