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Anytime you do some type of endurance training you are working on improving your aerobic fitness. This can be defined as any exercise that you perform that causes the body to use a continual supply of oxygen for a prolonged period of time.
Sprinting, for example, is not an example of aerobic fitness because it uses a different energy system that does not rely on oxygen. Therefore, this is going to work you anaerobically.
Improving your aerobic fitness is good because it will prevent you from becoming winded during any sporting activities you may play. Most sports rely mostly on this fitness component to keep your body moving throughout the game. Developing a good base, when it comes to aerobic fitness, is also great because it will better prepare you for more intense exercise training later on such as sprinting or weight lifting.
In order to improve upon this you should try performing at least 3, 30 minute long cardio sessions per week. If you can do more than this that is even better. Keep in mind however that there is a fine line and when taken to the extreme, more can sometimes not be as smart. Doing an hour of cardio every single day is not going to provide as much benefits to you because at this point, this area of your conditioning is likely very developed and you would be better off dedicated a few sessions towards more anaerobic sprint training.
The workouts that you do that are dedicated to this type of training should be done at a moderate pace with an exertion level of a bout 6-8. The lower the exertion the longer you should be able to go. Anything past the 8 exertion level though (on a scale from 1-10) and you are probably no longer relying on the oxygen-energy producing system (aerobic as opposed to the ATP-CP system used in anaerobic exercise).
A good workout program uses all forms of energy systems. Being able to complete longer, moderate intensity cardio work has many benefits such as an increased number of calories burnt, a decreased resting heart rate, a better cholesterol profile and better overall physical health. Don't forget to include it in your workout plan.
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