6 Reasons Aerobic Exercise Is Good for You

From improving heart health to protecting your brain and boosting your mood, here’s why cardio matters

Erica Sweeney,

AARP

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Published January 07, 2026

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If there were a magic pill to improve your overall health, exercise professor Loretta DiPietro says it would be aerobic exercise.“It benefits every system in the body,” says DiPietro, a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Aerobic exercise refers to low- to moderate-intensity activity that uses oxygen (or air) for energy, explains Elizabeth Joy, a family, sports and lifestyle medicine physician based in Salt Lake City, and chair of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine program. It includes activities that can be performed for longer periods, such as 20 minutes or an hour, like walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, group fitness classes, gardening or playing sports like pickleball.

This differs from anaerobic exercise, which uses glucose (or sugar) that’s stored in the muscles for energy, Joy says. Anaerobic exercises are typically done in short bursts — movements like weight lifting, sprinting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Older adults get the most benefits from combining aerobic and anaerobic exercises, she notes.

Aerobic exercise, often referred to as “cardio,” uses large muscle groups “in a continuous, kind of rhythmic way to increase your heart rate, increase your breathing rate,” says Thomas Buford, a professor and director of the Center for Exercise Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

DiPeitro recommends that you aim for 40 to percent of your VO2 max, which is the amount of oxygen your body uses during exercise. To calculate what yours should be, she says to subtract your age from 220 (this number is the maximum number of times your heart should beat per minute), and then take 50 percent of that. If you don’t have a smartwatch or heart rate monitor, exercise at a level where you can talk while exercising but would have difficulty singing.

VO2 max is “the intensity that you should be walking at,” or performing other aerobic exercises, DiPietro says. And doing so brings a wealth of health benefits, Buford adds. Here are six ways aerobic exercise is good for you:

1. It protects your heart.

Aerobic activity engages the “entire cardiorespiratory system,” DiPietro says, including your heart, lungs, arteries and veins. Activities like walking your dog or doing yard work get your heart pumping, which improves blood flow and enhances your muscles’ ability to receive oxygen so your heart doesn’t need to work as hard to pump blood to your muscles.

These movements also lower your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure, Buford says. A 2025 systematic review published in the Journal of General Medicine found that people over 60 who participated in aerobic exercise had “significantly reduced” blood pressure and heart rate and improved cardiorespiratory health.

Overall, “performing aerobic activity is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack, heart failure, even strokes,” Joy says. She adds that exercise, under a doctor’s supervision, can also help rehabilitate the heart after a heart attack.

2. It enhances metabolic health.

Another benefit is that aerobic exercise helps improve body composition and body weight, Joy says. According to a small 2017 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, when obese people over 65 engaged in aerobic exercise, they saw a 9 percent decrease in body weight.

As a result, aerobic exercise can lower your risk for diabetes and help you manage the condition if you have it, Joy says. Physical activity, in general, has been shown to reduce your risk for metabolic syndrome, including lowering blood sugar, bad cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and waist circumference.

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3. It lowers your risk of cognitive decline.

Age is the main predictor of cognitive decline, and research has linked physical activity with reducing your risk, Joy says. One reason is that regular aerobic activity improves blood (and oxygen) flow to your brain, which is crucial for brain health, DiPietro says.

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that higher levels of physical activity in midlife (ages 45 to 64) and late life (ages 65 to 88) were linked to a more than 40 percent lower risk of dementia.

“I think the best medicine to prevent cognitive decline is exercise,” Joy says.

4. It improves your mental health.

Getting your body moving and heart pumping can release endorphins, a.k.a. the feel-good hormones, which can make you happier and put you in a good mood, DiPietro says. Exercise of any kind lowers the stress hormone cortisol, thereby reducing stress, helping you relax and improving your sleep, which is also linked to a better mood.

Beyond mood, Joy says aerobic exercise can reduce your risk for anxiety and depression. A 2025 meta-analysis published in JAMDA found that exercise in general reduces “depressive symptoms” for people 50 and older, and aerobic exercise, in particular, promotes blood circulation and boosts the release of certain brain neurotransmitters.

The key to enhancing these benefits is to find activities that you enjoy, Buford says. For instance, if you find walking boring, try swimming or doing water aerobics, take up a sport like pickleball or start cycling, or listen to a podcast while you’re exercising.

5. It boosts independence.

“Aerobic exercises make everything people do in their activities of daily living easier, like climbing the stairs, carrying groceries,” Joy says.

That’s because research has found regular physical activity improves strength, mobility, balance and endurance, which help you perform daily chores and errands and potentially lower your risk for falls. This can allow you to maintain your independence for longer.

6. It can build social connections.

Social isolation and loneliness have been identified as public health concerns for people over 50, and these problems have been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, anxiety and depression.

Joy suggests finding opportunities to enjoy aerobic exercises while also connecting with others, such as by taking an in-person or virtual fitness class, joining a sports team or gardening group, or walking with a friend or neighbor.

This will give you “double the benefit,” she says. “You get the social connection and all the physiological benefits that come from that, like lower blood pressure and decreased cortisol, and you get the physical activity benefits.”

How to get started

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combo of moderate and vigorous exercises), as well as two days of muscle-strengthening activities.

However, less than 15 percent of adults 65 and older meet these guidelines.

But don’t let that worry you, Buford says. The 150-minute guideline can seem overwhelming, he acknowledges, and it doesn’t mean that “lesser outcomes or lesser levels of exercise do not have benefits.”

Instead, focus on starting now with the time and capabilities you have, Buford says. For example, he suggests beginning with a 10-minute-a-day walk and building on it.

“Start small every day,” DiPietro says. “If you have a pet that you walk on a regular basis, walk a little farther and then a little faster until you can at least meet those guidelines of 150 minutes a week. And when you do reach those guidelines, extend those guidelines. Go for more.”

Most important, Buford says, find an aerobic activity you enjoy, which usually means you’ll stick to it. And mix it up by incorporating different exercises so you don’t get bored, Joy says.

If you have any health conditions or mobility challenges, Joy suggests talking to an exercise professional or your doctor about which movements are best for you.

Ultimately, everyone should strive to “move more, sit less,” DiPietro says. It’s good for every aspect of your health.

Aerobic Exercise Recommendations

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) for 150 minutes every week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week).
Or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (such as jogging or running) for 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) every week.
Or an equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity on two or more days a week.
Note that even small bouts of exercise count toward your weekly goal. So if you do two 11-minute walks or short aerobic videos a day, you will meet the goal.
For adults 65 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends including muscle-strengthening and balance activities each week.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Erica Sweeney is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience covering health, wellness and business. Her work regularly appears in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Business Insider, Everyday Health, Men’s Health and many other publications.