Anaerobic and Aerobic Exercise – Fit and Healthy
If you want to get fit and healthy you need to understand the two different types of exercise. They are anaerobic and aerobic exercise.
Anaerobic exercise involves a “hard” workout such as running or lifting heavy weights with minimal reps. Most people perform this when they work out. It needs to be known that while anaerobic exercise can build muscle it does not burn very much fat. It primarily burns off sugar.
The problem with anaerobic exercise is it is often the only exercise people will do, and although their body may look good on the outside because of all the muscle, they are not very healthy on the inside.
Health and fitness are two different things. To get up from your chair and go run three miles as fast as you can or to hit the weights for an hour after work are not necessarily healthy activities unless you are doing aerobic exercise as well.
Diet also plays a role as following an unhealthy diet will make anaerobic exercise even harder on your body. Protein, more protein, and a lot of fruit (for sugar) and vegetables are what you want in your diet if you are doing a lot of anaerobic exercise.
When you only participate in anaerobic exercise your body becomes depleted and overworked because you often burn off too much sugar and can put extra stress your heart and other vital organs. Many people think that they are getting in shape because they are absolutely exhausted after working out.
If you are doing this you are actually doing detriment to your body. Anaerobic exercise can cause many health problems associated with your neck and back, tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles.
Anaerobic exercise is only good for you when your body is healthy enough to be ready for it. You always need to do anaerobic exercise in conjunction with aerobic exercise as well as follow the diet prescribed above.
What Is Aerobic Exercise?
The word aerobic means in the presence of oxygen. Aerobic exercise burns off fat instead of sugar. You can lift heavy weights all day long and build bulky muscle, but if you want to get lean and burn fat you need to do exercises like:
* Walking
* Jogging (not running)
* Biking (slowly and for long distances)
* Lifting light weights with a lot of reps (toning)
Aerobic exercise is healthier for your body than anaerobic exercise and should always be done prior to exercise to “warm up” your body for heavy exercise. This will reduce the likelihood of injury and ensure that your body is ready for the heavy strain anaerobic exercise can cause.
How Do I Tell If I Am Doing Aerobic or Anaerobic Exercise?
If you can talk while you are exercising then you are doing aerobic exercise. If you can’t talk because you are short of breath or straining then it is anaerobic exercise.
To live a healthy life you need to participate in both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. However, I suggest that you start with aerobic exercise first and follow a good diet to get your body healthy enough for anaerobic exercise.
If all you do currently is anaerobic exercise you need to scale back and do aerobic exercise as well, otherwise you are putting your body through too much excruciating exercise. While you may be getting “ripped” it’s not healthy.
Always remember that health and fitness are two different things and your body is best off using both in conjunction with one another. Good luck on your journey towards health and wellness!
