Aerobic exercise is a great way to keep fit and improve your overall health. This type of exercise effectively strengthens your heart and lungs, thus reducing your risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. There are several ways for you to get aerobic exercise and various aerobic exercise equipment that you can use. The most common pieces of aerobic equipment are the treadmill, elliptical machine, and the exercise bike.

The treadmill is one of the most popular pieces of fitness equipment, as it allows exercisers to either walk or run without having to get outside and brave the elements. Elliptical machines, on the other hand, let you mimic walking and running motions without subjecting your joints to the usual stress brought on by the impact associated with these aerobic activities. Exercise bikes are also very popular because they give you intense aerobic workouts while remaining in a sitting position. Some models have even made exercise more interesting by allowing two users to ride side-by-side and simulate a bike race.

Aside from traditional aerobic exercises, water aerobics have also gained popularity as they evolved from simple swimming into group exercises like jumping jacks, jogging, and even cross-country skiing in shallow pools. These exercises also require the use of a few pieces of aerobic exercise equipment such as barbells and weights. Here are some tips on how to make water aerobics work for you.

Wear aqua shoes to protect your feet from the pool's floor. This type of shoe is especially designed for high levels of water exercise. They are extremely durable and very easy to slip on or off. Water barbells can also be very useful in water fitness activities. They can be used in several exercises that are focused on strengthening the muscles of your back, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. Ankle weights are also useful for strength training in water. They are attached to the bottom of your legs with a Velcro snap, thus forcing your legs to work extra hard when you jog in water.

Jogging belts also help tone your abdominal muscles as you jog around the pool. It contours to the shape of your body and helps you to keep those stomach muscles in the proper position as you go through your exercise routine. You may also find much use for exercise noodles, especially if you want to experiment with flotation techniques that you haven't tried before and practice synchronized swimming. Using noodles to float with your feet off the bottom of the pool and your body suspended in the air forces you to focus your muscles on the effort to keep afloat.

Though aerobic exercise - both on land and in the water - can definitely work wonders for your fitness level, it is still prudent to check with your doctor before starting on an aerobic exercise routine. You need to make sure that no medical condition precludes you from performing such exercises. Once you get the go signal from your doctor then there's nothing to stop you from taking advantage of the above aerobic exercise equipment and getting your heart pumping!