The real benefits of aerobic exercise are achieved by increasing your heart rate and breathing hard for an extended period of time. During this aerobic activity your body produces more energy and delivers more oxygen to your muscles. Your heart beats faster and increases the blood flow to your muscles and then back to your lungs. Aerobic means “with oxygen” and your body’s aerobic system is your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles. The benefit of aerobic exercise is based on how well your body can deliver oxygen to your muscles and use it for energy. Regular aerobic workouts increase your ability to take in and transport that oxygen and improves your aerobic capacity.

A good aerobic exercise program can help you live a longer, healthier life and enhance your well being. You get a multitude of benefits if you do your aerobic workout on a regular basis even if the intensity is low or short in duration. It’s fun to keep a log of your workouts that track your progress to see how far you have come in your pursuit of fitness. The bottom line is to start an aerobic workout that you enjoy and look forward to doing on a consistent basis. Aerobic activity is fun and it doesn’t require a lot of concentration. So listen to music, watch TV or listen to educational tapes while you are performing your aerobic exercise program.

Aerobic workouts make you feel better about yourself so you can enjoy life more. It boosts your mood, strengthens your heart muscle, helps you maintain your weight and can even lower your blood sugar levels. It can help increase your stamina and help you manage stress. A session of aerobic activity can help you relax after a stressful day at work. It can even improve your sexual performance. If you maintain a regular aerobic exercise program as you get older, your muscles will stay stronger and help you avoid fractures and falls. This will help keep you independent and on your own longer. People who engage in exercise and cardiovascular fitness appear to live longer than those who don’t. Aerobic activity comes in many forms and you can benefit from the time you spend in doing them. The benefits of aerobic exercise are good for your body and your mind and will help to make you live longer, stay healthier and feel great.

A lot of seniors belong to health clubs and gyms and the health benefits of exercising don’t diminish as you age. In fact they seem to become more important in helping you to remain healthy, active, and independent. First of all, there are a few senior-only health clubs, although they are few and far between. If there is one near you, it may be perfect, although many of my senior friends prefer working out in a mixed environment anyways. Since you probably don’t have a seniors only option, what should you look for above and beyond a comfortable, pleasant environment with a mix of equipment that you enjoy?

Does anyone on the staff have a certification in senior fitness or equivalent? Although not necessary, this is nice. The regular staff may be more than adequate. My gym for example is very popular with seniors yet no one carries a specific certification. Do they offer senior specific or senior appropriate fitness classes? Although none carry the “senior” designation at mine, they have a range of low impact to medium impact classes, and quite a few seniors like the higher impact classes as well. At last, and probably least yet still important, do they offer a senior discount? If not, they may offer a discount for a restricted time membership, for example one that that doesn’t include weekend or evening access. If you have a flexible schedule like many seniors, this might just be perfect.