Running, Aerobics, Swimming? - Which Would You Choose?

Too strenuous? Too boring? No fun? Too time-consuming? No place to jog? Then choose some other aerobics.

AEROBICS? None of the dedicated runners would have to ask what these are, but some others might. The Encyclopædia Britannica tells us:

"AEROBICS, system of physical conditioning developed to increase the efficiency of the body's intake of oxygen. Typical aerobic exercises (e.g., walking, running, swimming, and cycling) stimulate heart and lung activity for a time period long enough to produce beneficial changes in the body (training effect). A point-system chart is used to demonstrate the amount of energy expended on an exercise."-1976 edition, volume 1, page 113 of the Micropædia.

Aerobic charts gauge an individual's improvement, and they have been developed for different age groups and for various kinds of exercise. In the above definition the key phrase that makes exercise aerobic is "a time period long enough to produce beneficial changes in the body." The heart must be made to beat fast enough, without letup, over a minimum period of time depending on age, or the beneficial changes will not occur. What these changes are is explained in the two-page article following this one.

How fast must the heart beat to make exercise qualify as aerobic? One suggested formula: Write down 220. Subtract your age. This number represents your estimated maximum heart rate per minute. Multiply this number by .7 and you will have the rate per minute your heart should beat for aerobic training.

Now about your objections to running. Too strenuous? Try WALKING. It may be the least strenuous and safest aerobic exercise for the greater number of people. It can be safely followed all the years of your life, into old age. Even those contemplating running may be wise to start with walking, then combining walking and running, and finally running. Remember, however, for the walking to be aerobic it must be brisk. A leisurely stroll, even normal walking speed, does not raise the heartbeat enough. In one test, men 40 to 57 years old walked at a fast pace for 40 minutes, four days a week, and showed improvement equal to that of men of the same age who jogged for 30 minutes three days a week. Walking takes more time, but it gets the same results and is safer for many people.

You have no place to jog, and it's too time-consuming? Try ROPE-SKIPPING. It can be done indoors or out. Weather is no factor. It takes less time and gives comparable results. "For producing the greatest fitness in the least amount of time," says Dr. Kaare Rodahl of the Institute of Work Physiology in Oslo, Norway, "nothing surpasses the simple jump rope." At Arizona State University half of 92 unfit students were put on a 30-minutes-a-day jogging program, the other half were on a 10-minutes-a-day rope-skipping program. Later tests showed both groups almost identical in cardiovascular efficiency.

Running is too boring? Try BICYCLING. But exercise caution that cars don't hit you, and that you don't hit pedestrians. Pick out back roads if they are available, but don't stop along the way to smell the roses. Keep a steady pace that will make your heart work at the necessary rate to make your training aerobic.

No fun? Try SWIMMING. You keep cool. The water is exhilarating. A rhythm is established as you plow through the water with steady, powerful strokes. It is an enjoyable exercise that works every muscle in the body, and if it is continuous throughout the training period the heart and the lungs are worked sufficiently to produce the benefits.

There are still other possibilities. Tennis is popular now. Fast singles are good-playing doubles can give players too much rest. Basketball can be aerobic, if action is not interrupted by too many foul shots. Whatever form of exercise you choose, if it is to give the benefits of aerobics it must keep you moving, keep you huffing and puffing. Its demand on the heart and lungs must be heavy, sustained and over a minimum period of time.

And, of course, always within the safe limits of your own body's capacities, as determined by a doctor's examination. Now, please turn the page to see the benefits of aerobic exercise.