Alternative Aerobic Exercises for Maximum Weight Loss and Fitness

Before we discuss what are the most effective alternative aerobic exercises for maximum weight loss and fitness, we need to remind you that we highly recommend consulting a professional trainer or your doctor before starting any exercise program. Now that we have that out of the way, let's begin...

The idea behind alternative aerobic exercises is that they give you a break from your primary aerobic exercises to lessen the stress on your body, and they prevent boredom when following your workout plan.

The best alternative aerobic exercise is to simply pick another primary exercise. For example, you could jog three days and then walk the others. There are, however, other terrific aerobic exercises to choose from beyond the four primary exercises.  The most effective alternative aerobic exercises to consider are outdoor cycling, stationary cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, and swimming.

  Outdoor Cycling
Outdoor cycling is considered a moderate exercise and this is because most of your weight is supported by the bike itself. Typically, you’ll want to double the time that you exercise when cycling to get the same aerobic workout that you would get with a primary aerobic exercise. So if you are jogging 20 minutes a day, try cycling for 40 minutes or so if you really want to get the full benefit of this aerobic exercise.

 

Cycling is extremely fun and it can be downright addictive! Now you will fall prey to the weather from time to time and actually buying a quality a bike can be a fairly steep investment. The best time to buy a bike is towards the end of the cycling season. Depending on where you live, of course, this is usually towards the end of summer or into early fall. The bike shops usually cut their prices to clear out their inventory so this is the best time to scout around for deals. I purchased my first bike in early fall a few years ago and I got a screaming deal – almost half the retail price. Expect to spend at least $250 on a good bike and even at that price you'll be looking at an entry-level bike.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Quality bike
• Helmet
• Shoes, shoe clips & other general bicycling gear
• Heart rate monitor

Stationary Cycling
Stationary cycling is another good alternative but it is a less intense exercise than outdoor cycling because you don’t have any wind resistance. Because of this, you should plan on doubling the time you spend exercising. But, you can overcome the lack of wind resistance by increasing the resistance on the machine so there is no need to block aside several hours a day for this aerobic exercise.

Another potential drawback to stationary cycling is that you’ll need to purchase a fairly expensive piece of equipment for the privilege of getting your very necessary aerobic exercise in the comfort of your own home. Of course, almost any fitness center has stationary cycling machines so you could still enjoy this aerobic exercise and its benefits for only a few dollars a month if you can’t afford buying the bike for your home right now.

Furthermore, the scenery never changes like outdoor cycling so you may get bored more easily. However, a stationary bike does allow you to do other things while you’re exercising – like watch TV or read the paper. Pay attention to the intensity of your workout if you do watch TV or read while you exercise. You don’t want to drift out of your target heart rate!

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Stationary bike
• Heart rate monitor

Rowing
Rowing provides an excellent alternative aerobic exercise and places little stress on your ligaments and joints. There are different types of boats to choose from. A boat with a rowing shell provides the best all-body workout and a superior aerobic exercise. A kayak, however, primarily works the arms. Canoes do not provide a good aerobic workout because you hardly use your legs at all so save them for your recreational time. If outdoor rowing isn’t an option for you, consider an indoor rowing machine. They can get a little boring but the all-body workout makes this aerobic exercise well worth it!

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Rowing boats
• Indoor rowing machine
• Heart rate monitor

Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is a great alternative aerobic exercise and can be done inside or out and has little stress on your ligaments and joints. The main drawbacks to using cross-country skiing as an aerobic exercise is that it can be expensive to outfit yourself, requires snow if skiing outside and requires a little bit of a learning curve to master.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Skis
• Skiing gear
• Heart rate monitor
• Indoor skiing machine

Swimming
Swimming is considered a moderate alternative aerobic exercise. A major drawback to swimming is that the water’s cool temperature prevents your body from heating up as much as it would with some of the other aerobic exercises. The only issue with this lower temperature is the lowered impact on your metabolism. As we all know, the faster the metabolism, the more calories we burn!

Swimming is an aerobic exercise that may also affect your appetite – in a negative way! Swimming actually tends to make you hungrier! A final drawback has to do with your body fat. The more fat you have, the more you’ll float and the less you work. Swimming does have one thing working in its favor, it’s one of the least stressful exercises for your body and is one of the greatest aerobics exercises to use while you are recovering from an orthopedic injury.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Eye goggles
• Swim suit

You might be asking yourself, do my weekly basketball games count as an alternative aerobic exercise? Almost every recreational sport has an active phase and a resting phase. Effective aerobic exercises are continuous and the resting phases in recreational sports break that flow. It’s best not to count these as an exercise session...sorry.