Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2017; 108(3): 271-275

Aerobic Exercise and The Heart: Discussing Doses

Claudio Gil Soares de Araújo, Claudia Lucia Barros de Castro, João Felipe Franca, Christina Grüne de Souza e Silva

DOI: 10.5935/abc.20170020

Preliminary considerations

Free animals have been and will always be active, with confinement or sedentary styles considered unnatural. Humankind, as it is known today, was able to set off from central regions and, through its own means of locomotion (exercise) spread across far areas of the planet. Seeking food and water, running from predators, from childhood to old age, have always been linked to exercise. Indeed, a sedentary lifestyle is very recent in the history of humankind.

Before approaching the theme of exercise and the heart, it is important to conceptualize some terms ().^, Among several terms, it is worth highlighting the difference between physical activity and exercise. While both involve movement and/or muscle contraction with energy expenditure, in exercise there is movement intention (physical activity) in a structured and repetitive manner, with the objective of maintenance or optimization of physical conditioning and/or health and/or body aesthetics.

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