Aerobic

Aerobic means “with oxygen”. These types of activities make you breathe harder than normal, use your body’s larger muscles, and are “rhythmic and repetitive”. Activities like walking, dancing, going for a bike ride or even doing yard work are all considered aerobic activities.

Participating in aerobic activities has many benefits, including lowering blood pressure, increasing stamina and reducing risk of chronic disease.

Moderate vs. Intense – What do they mean?

A simple way to think about the difference between moderate and physical activity is using the “talk test”. Moderate physical activity is activity that gets your heart rate elevated and makes you breathe harder than normal, but should allow you to have a normal conversation. Taking a brisk walk at lunch time or doing yard work would fall into this category. Intense physical activity, on the other hand, also gets your heart rate elevated but you should not be able to carry on a conversation. Going for a run or playing competitive sports would be considered intense physical activity.