Aerobic Exercise Benefits

Exercise is Necessary for Bodybuilders

Getting the right amount of exercise can rev up your energy levels and even help improve your mood.

Rewards and Benefits

Experts recommend that teens get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Here are some of the reasons:

Exercise benefits every part of the body, including the mind. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals that can help a person to feel more peaceful and happy.

Exercise can help some people sleep better. It can also help some people who have mild depression and low self-esteem.

Plus, exercise can give people a real sense of accomplishment and pride at having achieved a certain goal like beating an old time in the 100-meter dash.

This may not seem important now, but your body will thank you later.

Women are especially prone to a condition called osteoporosis a weakening of the bones as they get older.

Studies have found that weight-bearing exercise like jumping, running, or brisk walking can help girls and guys! keep their bones strong.

The three components to a well-balanced exercise routine are: aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training.

Aerobic Exercise

Like other muscles, the heart enjoys a good workout. You can provide it with one in the form of aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that gets the heart pumping and quickens your breathing.

When you give your heart this kind of workout regularly, it will get stronger and more efficient in delivering oxygen (in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.

If you play team sports, you're probably meeting the recommendation for 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on practice days.

Some team sports that give you a great aerobic workout are swimming, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, and rowing.

But if you don't play team sports, don't worry there are plenty of ways to get aerobic exercise on your own or with

Muscle also burns more energy when a person's at rest than fat does, so building your muscles will help you burn more calories and maintain a healthy weight.

Different types of exercise strengthen different muscle groups, for example:

For arms, try rowing or cross-country skiing. Pull-ups and push-ups, those old gym class standbys, are also good for building arm muscles.

For strong legs, try running, biking, rowing, or skating. Squats and leg raises also work the legs.

For shapely abs, you can't beat rowing, yoga or pilates, and crunches.

Flexibility Training

Strengthening the heart and other muscles isn't the only important goal of exercise. Exercise also helps the body stay flexible, meaning that your muscles and joints stretch and bend easily. People who are flexible can worry less about strained muscles and sprains.

Being flexible may also help improve a person's sports performance. Some activities, like dance or martial arts, obviously require great flexibility, but increased flexibility can also help people perform better at other sports, such as soccer or