Aerobics literally means “with oxygen.” This means that aerobics is a form of exercise that requires additional oxygen and so, in response to this need, your lungs and heart work harder to provide the extra oxygen that is required. As your heart and lungs are muscles, aerobics also provides them with an additional workout.

By working out your heart and lungs during pregnancy, you not only strengthen the muscular components, but also increase your stamina and endurance, which is of great benefit during your pregnancy, labor, birth, and beyond.

Aerobics in Your Daily Life

Aerobic exercise probably calls to mind skinny women dressed in leotards, dancing at a rapid pace to loud rock music. While this is certainly one form of aerobic exercise, there are many others. In fact, you probably get more aerobic exercise than you might think.

All of the walking, running, and swimming that you do requires the use of oxygen and is, therefore, aerobic. However, without intending to use these as your form of exercise, it can be hard to get the workout your body really needs. If you specifically set out to use your daily activities as a form of exercise, it only takes a bit of thought to make that happen.

How could you incorporate a walk into your daily routine? You could begin to walk to work. Perhaps you could bicycle your toddler to preschool? What about everyday errands? Could you walk to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for dinner? What if you need to send a package from the office overnight, can you walk to the postal service center?