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Aerobic fitness relates to how well your cardiovascular system works to
transport oxygen to your body. The better your aerobic fitness, the stronger
and more efficient your heart is. Good aerobic fitness has many health
benefits. For example, it helps in decreasing the risk of high blood pressure
and your risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. If you want to improve
your aerobic fitness it takes, on average, six weeks of regular training to see a
noticeable change in your OwnIndex. Less fit individuals see progress even
more rapidly. The better your aerobic fitness, the smaller the improvements
in your OwnIndex.
Aerobic fitness is best improved by training types that use large muscle
groups. Such activities include running, cycling, walking, rowing, swimming,
skating, and cross-country skiing. To monitor your progress, start by
measuring your OwnIndex a couple of times during the first two weeks in
order to get a baseline value, and then repeat the test approximately once a
month.
To make sure the test results are reliable, the following basic requirements
apply:
You can perform the test anywhere - at home, at the office, at a health
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club - provided the testing environment is peaceful. There should be no
disturbing noises (e.g. television, radio, or telephone) and no other
people talking to you.
Always take the test in the same environment and at the same hour.
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Avoid eating a heavy meal or smoking 2-3 hours prior to testing.
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Avoid heavy physical exertion, alcohol, and pharmaceutical stimulants
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on the test day and the previous day.
You should be relaxed and calm. Lie down and relax for 1-3 minutes
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before starting the test.
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