Aerobic literally means "with oxygen", and refers to the use of oxygen in muscles' energy-generating process. Aerobic exercise includes any type of exercise, typically those performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time that maintains an increased heart rate. In such exercise, oxygen is used to "burn" fats and glucose in order to produce adenosine tri-phosphate, the basic energy carrier for all cells. Initially during aerobic exercise, glycogen is broken down to produce glucose, but in its absence, fat starts to decompose instead. This latter is a slow process, and is accompanied by a decline in performance level. Aerobics is an effective physical exercise which is often done to music. It can be defined as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." Aerobic exercise is any repetitive activity that you do long enough and hard enough to challenge your heart and lungs. In order to work your heart and lungs hard enough, you must get your largest muscle groups involved. They include your legs, gluts, back and chest. It is a type of exercise that overloads the heart and lungs and causes them to work harder than at rest. The important idea behind aerobic exercise today, is to get up and get moving!! There are more activities than ever to choose from, whether it is a new activity or an old one. Find something you enjoy doing that keeps your heart rate elevated for a continuous time period and get moving to a healthier life.

There are various types of aerobic exercise. In general, aerobic exercise is one performed at a moderately high level of intensity over a long period of time. For example, running a long distance at a moderate pace is an aerobic exercise, but sprinting is not. Playing singles tennis, with near-continuous motion is generally considered aerobic activity, while golf or doubles tennis, with their more frequent breaks, may not be.

Aerobic exercise is a fabulous workout that not only helps in maintaining your fitness level, but also makes your heart stronger. There are distinct forms of aerobics like cycling; biking, jogging, running, swimming, dancing etc .You can also carry out your aerobic workout on different machines in the gym like treadmill, stationary exercising bike, stair-stepper etc.

Following exercise is considered as Aerobic exercise:

1. Aerobic Dance
2. Bicycling
3. Cross Country Skiing
4. In-Line Skating
5. Fitness Walking
6. Jumping Rope
7. Running
8. Stair Climbing
9. Swimming

1. Increased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)
2. Improvement in cardiovascular/cardio respiratory function (heart and lungs)
3. Increased maximal cardiac output (amount of blood pumped every minute)
4. Increased maximal stroke volume (amount of blood pumped with each beat)
5. Increased blood volume and ability to carry oxygen
6. Reduced workload on the heart (myocardial oxygen consumption) for any given sub maximal exercise intensity
7. Increased blood supply to muscles and ability to use oxygen
8. Lower heart rate and blood pressure at any level of sub maximal exercise
9. Increased threshold for lactic acid accumulation
10. Lower resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people with high blood pressure
11. Increased HDL Cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
12. Decreased blood triglycerides
13. Reduced body fat and improved weight control
14. Improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance

Aerobic exercise confers many health benefits. Burning calories effectively and increasing the basal metabolic rate, accomplished by regular aerobic exercise, both aid in weight loss.

There are innumerable health benefits of aerobics, some are given below:-

1. It helps in utilizing oxygen more efficiently, thereby paving way for increased fat burning.
2. The chances of having diabetes and other diseases are largely reduced.
3. If you are keeping unwell, then aerobics exercise can help you a great deal in faster recovery.
4. Aerobic also acts as a fantastic stress reliving therapy.
5. Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
6. Strengthening the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate.
7. Toning muscles throughout the body which can improve overall circulation and reduce blood pressure.
8. Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, to facilitate transport of oxygen throughout the body.
9. Regular, vigorous aerobic activity can, as a result, reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems.
10. High-impact aerobic activities (such as jogging or jumping rope) can stimulate bone growth, as well as reducing the risk of osteoporosis for both women and men.

Thus, it can be said that it helps to maintain your overall fitness, on one hand it enables you to have a beautiful fit body and on the other hand, it ensures that your mind remains stress free.

Aerobic capacity describes the functional status of the cardio respiratory system, including, for example, the heart, lungs or blood vessels. Aerobic capacity is defined as the maximum volume of oxygen which can be consumed by ones muscles during exercise. It is a function both of ones cardio respiratory performance and of the ability of the muscles to extract the oxygen and fuel delivered to them. To measure maximal aerobic capacity, an exercise physiologist or physician typically directs a subject to exercise on a treadmill, first by walking at an easy pace and then, at set time intervals during graded exercise tests, gradually increasing the workload. The higher a cardio respiratory endurance level, the more oxygen transported to exercising muscles and the longer exercise can be maintained without exhaustion. Higher aerobic capacity means the higher the level of aerobic fitness.

In the present times, carrying out aerobics has become the most happening workout trend among the youth. Not only is performing aerobic exercise interesting, but also is very beneficial for health. Aerobics is very popular with women who do it together in a group following an instructor or alone in front of the television. Girls are usually fond of dancing, so why not use hobby to keep one self fit. These days; it has actually become a trend of joining aerobic dance classes. The best part about the aerobic dance is that, not only it helps in keeping you in shape, but also it's a fun time activity, for which you don't mind sparing time, because you derive pleasure in doing it. Even a person who always tends to escape from exercising, the right aerobic type is fitness walking.Aerobic is now going to be a part of one's life and very close to be a lifestyle.