Aerobic exercises have the following health benefits :

• Aid weight loss
• Lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Lower blood lipid levels
• Reduce the risk of diabetes
• Slow down aging
• Promote brain plasticity
• Help fight certain types of cancers

Playing “stare” is not going to help. Get up and include the following aerobic exercises in your fitness routine. Scroll down!

Aerobic Exercises To Do In The Gym

11. Rowing

Be it outdoors or indoors, rowing is an amazing upper body toning and strengthening exercise (just take one look at the rowing crew at Harvard!). You will burn around 300 calories in 30 minutes and can lose the excess fat on your upper body. At the gym, you can row on a rowing machine. Make sure you don’t put too many weights initially. Also, take care of the position of your feet, knees, back, and the muscles used. You may also go on kayaking trips or join a crew club in your area.

12. Boxing

Boxing is more a test of your mind than your body strength. You will learn how to improve body coordination, balance, strength, and muscle tone and start thinking two steps ahead of the opponent. Not just the calorie burn, the stress release and the thrill of fighting like Rocky Balboa or daydreaming about winning the National Boxing Championship will keep you from giving up too soon.

13. Stationary Bike

Picture this. It has been raining since morning, and you cannot go to the gym or outside for a quick run or on a biking adventure. Why not jump on a stationary bike and get yourself moving for at least 20 minutes? It is an amazing exercise to get your blood circulation going. It burns around 200-300 calories and tones your legs, glutes, and lower abdomen. Be careful about the saddle, positioning, and resistance to make the workout effective.

14. Elliptical

If a stationary bike wears you out or bores you, try the elliptical. Why? Well, for starters, it burns about 300-400 calories if you are in the weight range of 160-175 pounds. And there’s more! The machine is designed in a way to give you a full body workout. Meaning, you can get slim and toned arms, legs, and belly.

Aerobic Exercises To Do In A Class

15. Zumba

Zumba is what got me into shape. It is a great form of cardio, and you can have a lot of fun with friends! Zumba burns about 500 calories in 60 minutes, i.e., you can burn about 2500 calories if you do Zumba for at least an hour for five days a week. It also has many health benefits.

These 15 amazing aerobic exercises will definitely help you tone up, reduce stress, and lower the risk of various health issues. Enjoy watching your favorite show, but make sure that you are physically active. Along with doing these exercises, walk to your nearby grocery store instead of driving there.

Name one health problem that aerobic exercises cannot fix. Scientific evidence shows that aerobics or cardio is a one-stop solution to most 21st century problems. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stress, and even certain cancers!

But this is what most of us are guilty of…

• Spending most of the time watching the latest Netflix/HBO show.
• Taking an Uber instead of walking or biking.
• Has Netflix’s one-month free subscription ended? Bring out the PlayStation.
• Playing “stare” with the friend instead of getting the door.

On the surface, it seems funny. Only, it’s not. Over the past two decades, obesity rose from 16.8% to 18.5% in youth and 33.7% to 39.6% in adults in the US. This, in turn, has given rise to various health problems. Not to forget the huge medical bills. But, there’s one way out – fun, mood-boosting aerobic/cardio exercises.

In this post, relearn the benefits of aerobic exercises. Reinvent your inner strength. Re-energize your muscles and brain. Let’s begin!

1. Butt Kicks

This one, literally, is a kickass exercise! It is a modified version of jogging on the spot, which can help slim and tone your glutes, thighs, calves, and lower belly region. It is a great calorie burner and can help improve your strength and muscle endurance. Make sure you wear good shoes to prevent knee injury. Here’s how to do it.

2. Squat Jacks

Much like jumping jacks but not really jumping jacks! Now, don’t let your imagination run wild and think about a weird exercise where you do a leg split while you are squatting. In this fun and effective exercise, you will do a jumping jack and squat down. Squat jacks target the legs, glutes, and belly region. Doing 3 sets of 15 squat jacks can get you sweating and burn about 50-60 calories. Mix it up with other exercises to hit your target calorie burn. Here’s how to do squat jacks.

3. Burpees

If you thought that squat jacks got your fat burning, think again! Say hello to the burpee – the top most effective fat-burning aerobic exercise. You can burn around 500 calories if you do burpees nonstop for an hour. That’s impractical! While doing burpees, aim to achieve better body posture instead of focusing on the duration. Doing the exercise wrong can hurt your knees and back. Here’s a video of how to do a burpee.

4. Lunges

If you want to get rid of thigh and leg fat, try lunging. This exercise looks simple, but it is a great leg slimmer. It works on the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower abdomen. You can burn anywhere between 50-200 calories depending on the intensity, time, and your current weight. Here’s how to do it.

5. Swimming

Swimming is one of the best full body workouts that can help you burn about 500-600 calories in 30 minutes, improve muscle tone, lose weight, and relieve stress. You can learn various strokes or walk along the sides of the pool (do not go to the deeper side if you are not a swimmer) in the initial stage.