Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, involves activities that make you move your large muscles, increase your heart rate, and can be done for a long time. It helps make your heart and lungs stronger, boosts your endurance, and benefits your overall health—affecting things like blood pressure, blood sugar, mood, and sleep. As Harvard Health says, Exercising regularly…is the single most important thing you can do for your health, helping to lower the chances of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, and more.

Experts suggest that adults aged 18 to 64 should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of hard exercise each week, or a mix of both. It's important to spread this activity out over the week.

Power Walking

Walking is one of the simplest aerobic exercises you can add to your daily routine. You don't need any special equipment or a gym, and you can do it almost anywhere. To make your walks more intense, try brisk walking or power walking. This will help improve your heart fitness. Aim for a pace where you're breathing harder than usual and can talk, but not sing.

Start by walking for 10–20 minutes at a comfortable pace (around 3–4 mph for most). Use local landmarks to help you: walk two blocks slowly, then one block quickly, and keep repeating this. To make it a bit more challenging, try walking on gentle hills or carrying a backpack.

Running

Running is an excellent way to increase your workout intensity. It mainly exercises the leg muscles, but it also engages muscles in the core and arms. It's a fantastic choice for aerobic exercise.

Try mixing walking and running: jog slowly for 1 minute, then walk for 2 minutes; repeat this 8 to 10 times. Most of your runs should be easy enough to talk during, and add some short bursts of speed or hills once a week. Wear good shoes and run on softer places like tracks or trails as you get stronger.

Stair Climbing

Stairs are a great way to get aerobic exercise without a lot of impact on your joints. Find a set of stairs that you can repeatedly climb up and down for 15 to 30 minutes. These can be in your house, in an apartment building, at work, or even the bleachers at your local high school football field.

Try climbing stairs in short bursts of 5 to 10 minutes. Go up one or two flights, then walk back down to rest. Stand tall while climbing, and use the rail lightly for support if needed.

Choose your speed based on how fit you are. If you feel out of breath just walking up stairs, go slow. As you keep exercising, you can start to go faster. Soon, you might be able to run up and down the stairs several times.

Aerobics Classes

It is Guided, music-driven sessions (low-impact, step aerobics, dance cardio, cardio kickboxing, etc.).

You can start with easy or low-impact classes. Focus on moving smoothly and don’t stress about getting the steps perfect.

Swimming

Swimming is a wonderful exercise that is gentle on your joints but still works your whole body. To get started, you'll need a pair of goggles, and if your hair is long, a swim cap can be helpful too.

If you've been swimming for a while, you might combine freestyle with other strokes to make it more challenging. If you're new to swimming, choose one stroke that lets you swim the whole length of the pool. Then, see how many lengths you can swim with the fewest breaks.

Start by swimming for 10 minutes three to five days a week. Each week, add five minutes to your swim until you can swim for 30 minutes non-stop.

Bicycling

Bicycling is similar to walking because you can easily include it in your daily routine. You can use a bike to run errands or commute to work. Make sure to choose a bike that fits your size. It's a good idea to get help from a professional to make sure the bike is properly adjusted for you. This can help prevent injuries caused by muscle and joint problems.

To make biking more challenging, try going faster or riding in hilly areas. These changes will boost your heart rate and work your leg muscles harder. Always wear a helmet when you bike, even if you're just riding around your neighborhood.

Dancing

Any dance that lets you keep moving all the time—like Zumba, salsa, line dancing, hip-hop, or just dancing in your living room to your favorite songs.

Pick 3–4 of your favorite upbeat songs that last about 10–15 minutes in total. Make sure they have a steady beat and get faster or more exciting as you go.

It’s enjoyable and social—two strong reasons to stick with it—and it can often be done at a moderate intensity without feeling like a workout.

Tennis or Pickleball

It is a racket sport that involves quick movements, side-to-side changes, and short breaks.

Trying a sport like tennis or pickleball can be a fun change from working out alone. These games involve quick bursts of running and movement that get your heart pumping. Playing with others helps you stay motivated and encourages you to push yourself more.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is an easy cardio exercise that helps improve coordination. To get started, just grab a jump rope and find some open space. Swing the rope over your head, and when it comes down to your feet, jump over it.

You can jump for 10–20 seconds, then rest for 40–50 seconds. Do this 10 times. After that, try jumping for 30 seconds and resting for 30 seconds, then 45 seconds of jumping and 15 seconds of resting. Make sure your landings are soft and quiet.

It's energetic, easy to carry, and saves time; even brief workouts raise your heart rate and work your calf and thigh muscles while improving coordination.

Why Aerobic Exercise Is Good for the Body

Aerobic exercise is good for both physical and mental health. It makes the heart and lungs stronger, which helps improve endurance and muscle strength. These physical benefits allow people to stay active and avoid falls and injuries.

Aerobic exercise helps burn both carbs and fat by raising your heart rate and keeping it up for a longer time than many other types of exercise.

People who exercise regularly have a lower chance of getting heart disease and tend to live longer. They also have fewer issues with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, and their cholesterol levels are usually lower.

Aerobic exercise can also help improve mental health by reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. People with long-term illnesses who exercise regularly often experience a better quality of life.

Are You in the Aerobic Zone?

Your heart rate helps figure out if an exercise is aerobic. The aerobic heart rate zone is between 70% and 80% of your maximum heart rate. This zone is also known as zone 3 in the five heart rate zones.

A great way to measure this is by using a watch, heart rate monitor, or app. For accurate and reliable readings, try the Coospo heart rate monitor, which features a built-in LED light indicator that shows your current heart rate zone in real time — so you instantly know if you’re in the aerobic zone without even looking at your phone or watch. This makes it easier to train smarter, stay motivated, and track your progress.