Aerobic exercise recommendations

Ordinary people don’t have to worry about Internet celebrities’ hot-selling products for daily exercise. The core aerobic exercise options that are the most cost-effective and suitable for more than 90% of the population are brisk walking, jogging, and swimming. Those who have a basic sports background and pursue efficiency can choose spinning, skipping, and aerobics. Just choose based on your physical condition and available time. There is no so-called "optimal solution", and the one you can stick to is the best.

I have been doing endurance sports for almost 6 years, and I have seen everyone around me, from office workers who want to lose 20 pounds to 70-year-old elders who want to control blood sugar. I really found that many people fall into the trap in the first step: they insist on finding the most efficient exercise, and end up getting injured or giving up because they feel tired after not practicing twice. Let’s talk about brisk walking. I have argued with people on fitness forums before. Some people said that brisk walking can’t reach 60% of the maximum heart rate. It is not considered aerobic at all and is a waste of time. But my mother has old synovitis in her knees, and the doctor doesn’t allow her to run or jump. She walks briskly for 40 minutes every day after dinner with the aunties in the community. The cadence is about 110. She can walk and sweat slightly. In three months, her body fat has dropped from 32% to 30%, and her fasting blood sugar has dropped from 6.3 to 5.7. Do you think it works? In fact, for people with no exercise foundation, middle-aged and elderly people, and people with old joint injuries, the threshold for brisk walking is zero. There is no need for equipment or special venues. If you can persist for a long time, it is 10,000 times more effective than just lying down once you apply for a fitness card. Oh, by the way, if you feel that ordinary brisk walking is not strenuous, just carry two bottles of mineral water in your hand, or raise the cadence to above 120, and your heart rate will easily reach the target. You don’t have to listen to people’s nonsense.

If you have no joint problems and can spare 30 minutes a day, jogging is really the best value for money in my mind. Oh, by the way, there is a lot of noise here. One group says that jogging hurts the knees, and if you run too much, you will have to replace your joints sooner or later. The other group says that jogging puts less pressure on the joints than sitting for a long time. In fact, I have been running for 3 and a half years, and I experienced pain at the beginning. That was because I ran 5 kilometers at first, and my monthly running volume suddenly reached 150. Later, I asked the team's rehab team, and they said that as long as ordinary people wear running shoes with good cushioning, the running volume does not increase by more than 10% every week, and there is no need to deliberately tiptoe or hit the heel when landing, and it will basically not hurt the knee. I now run three times a week, 5 kilometers each time. The MRI of my knees during the last physical examination showed no problems at all. On the contrary, the lumbar protrusion caused by sitting for a long time has improved a lot.

If your BMI is over 28, or you have old joint injuries, such as synovitis, meniscus wear, or anterior fork surgery, don't force yourself to run or jump. Swimming is your best choice for aerobic exercise. The buoyancy of water can offset most of the pressure of body weight on joints. Swimming for one hour consumes about the same amount of calories as running 10 kilometers, and it can also train all the muscles in the body. Of course, some people say that swimming is useless. You will be very hungry after swimming and eat more than you consume. I admit this. I can still show off two meat buns every time I swim 1500 meters. But if you control your diet a little and don't go to hotpot after swimming, the scale will fall off really fast. My friend recovered from the front surgery. The doctor only allowed him to swim three times a week. After swimming for half a year, he lost 28 pounds and his leg muscles increased. Now he can jog normally.

If you think these three are too boring, you can try something else. For example, spinning with a trainer is very exciting and can consume 600 calories in one hour. But don’t listen to the trainer’s nonsense and stand up to hit the resistance. This is how many people wear out their menisci. Just sit and ride with the resistance adjusted to a level where you can pedal steadily without shaking. There is also skipping rope, which can consume 150 calories in 10 minutes. It is suitable for those who work overtime and have no time to go out. But don’t try it if you have weak ankle strength. Wear well-cushioned shoes when jumping, and jump on a yoga mat. Don’t hit the concrete floor directly. There is also aerobics, whether it is Liu Genghong or Pamela, there is no need to pursue 100% standard movements, as long as you can keep up with the rhythm and move. In fact, it is better to sit still if you can't jump and paddle.

Oh, by the way, don’t believe the lies on the Internet about the “best aerobic time” and “you must do it for 40 minutes to burn fat.” It doesn’t matter if you wake up in the morning and walk for 20 minutes on an empty stomach. It doesn’t matter if you take two bus stops less than two stops to walk home after get off work in the evening. It doesn’t matter if you go hiking in the mountains and ride a bike on the weekend. You can move whenever you have free time. Even moving for 10 minutes is better than not moving at all. There are also people who are confused about whether fasting aerobics is good or not. This really depends on the person. For people who don’t have blood sugar problems and are not prone to dizziness, doing low-intensity aerobics on an empty stomach is indeed more efficient in burning fat. But if you are anemic or feel dizzy when you wake up in the morning, it is perfectly fine to rest for half an hour after eating before moving. There is no need to compare with others.

I have seen too many people choose aerobics at the beginning, read a bunch of reviews, and buy equipment worth thousands of dollars. In the end, the yoga mat is gathering dust and the running shoes are unglued in the corner. It is really unnecessary. What is the best aerobic exercise? If you are willing to walk an extra 10 minutes after get off work today and climb a few flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator, that is the best place to start.