Step Aerobics

There are many immediate and long term effects of cardio respiratory endurance (aerobic) exercise. Some of the immediate effects are a brain boost, endorphin high, mood lift and fat burning. One of the major long term effects of cardio respiratory endurance is your overall health and well being is better. Any chronic issue you may have will have decreased significantly or have become completely eradicated.

When you exercise it is providing food to the brain. The exercise helps with your brains ability to learn and helps your memory function more efficiently. Exercising also promotes leanness and a healthy appearance to the exercisers body. Leanness is a person will help decrease the abdominal fat in the person's midsection. Generally a bigger mid section in a person puts them at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke. People that are physically fit get more restful sleep. As far as exercise being an endorphin high, exercise helps to release this feel good hormone, which over a long period can have a decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms for a person.

Cardio respiratory endurance training increases the capabilities of the heart and the lungs to deliver oxygen to the bodies tissues. The heart becomes stronger and breathing becomes more efficient. With the heart becoming stronger the risk of cardiovascular disease is decreased. The risk is decreased by the fact that now the exercisers blood pressure has lowered, the resting heart rate has slowed down because the heart realizes it doesn't have to work as hard in the resting state of the body. The total cholesterol level becomes lowered and the HDL which is the good cholesterol becomes elevated and the LDL which is the bad cholesterol will lower, with this the change in the cholesterol levels, the chances of having a stroke or heart attack significantly decreases.

The most important benefit of cardio respiratory endurance for me is the decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety back in 2006. That was such a horrible year for me; I was placed on Lexapro then switched to Paxil, then switched back to Lexapro. I was on that back and forth switch until the middle of 2009. By then I had enough of not feeling like myself, I was dealing with my emotions well but things that were natural for me to be upset about I wasn't. I wasn't crying I was emotional, and heartless. At that moment, I decided it was time to make a change. I started exercising due to the fact that being on the Paxil; I had ballooned to 221 lbs. As I got into my workout program, I realized how I was feeling better emotionally and how I was sleeping better. So I decided to wean myself off of the medication and it was the best decision I had made. I find now, that if I go too many days without exercising, I feel those symptoms of anxiety building back up and I find that I feel as if I'm on a short fuse and all someone needs