Aerobics, Anaerobics, or Vacuuming; It’s all Good
Author: C. Small
Are you a couch potato? Do you prefer sitting on the sidelines watching others have fun? Well, it’s time to get up and get active. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Surgeon General have all issued statements that recommend placing an emphasis on adopting physical activity into one’s lifestyle. Their purpose is to make us aware of the health benefits associated with increased physical activity, as well as to highlight the amount and intensity of activity necessary to achieve optimal results.
Now before you look at increasing your physical activities, you should consult your physician to ensure a safe and healthy experience. Next, you must understand the term. Physical activity cannot be defined in just one or two words; it is a broad term that encompasses all forms of muscle movements. These movements can range from sports to lifestyle activities (such as house cleaning, gardening, etc). Also, exercise can be defined as physical activity that is a planned, structured movement of the body designed to enhance physical fitness. Regimented or purposeful exercise consists of a program that includes twenty to sixty minutes of activity at least three to five days a week.
Let’s take a look at the word exercise. Are there different categories of exercises? Actually there are. Exercise may be classified in one of two categories or energy systems, anaerobic and aerobic, depending on where the energy is derived from. There is a distinct difference between the two, and specific training techniques are used to enhance both. Anaerobic exercise does not require oxygen for energy. This is due to the intensity and duration of anaerobic events, which typically are high intensity and last only a few seconds to a minute or two. Also, in anaerobic exercises the body creates the energy without oxygen. This basically is due to the fact that the body’s demand for energy is greater so that it will find natural body chemicals such as creatine phosphate to create it. These activities include weight lifting, machines that offer resistance, dumbbells, and short sprints.
Aerobic exercise on the other hand, does require oxygen for energy. When performing a set of aerobic exercises you 
are causing the body to utilize oxygen in order to create energy. The oxygen is needed to breakdown glucose. Glucose is the fuel needed to create energy. This energy system is primarily used during events lasting longer than several minutes, such as cycling/biking, running, swimming, cross-country skiing, playing basketball, jumping rope, roller skating, walking briskly and dancing. In addition to these fun activities, you can get a great aerobic workout through stationary exercise machines such as cycles, treadmills, stair-steppers and rowing machines. These can be found at a local gym or health club, where you can not only increase your fitness-level but social contacts as well. Most of these machines can also be used in the privacy of your home.
(Note: The potential does exist however, where one can use both the aerobic and anaerobic systems, as in soccer, where a match requires ninety minutes of continual activity with short intense bursts of effort.)
Participation in physical activity can be beneficial for anyone and can be started during any stage of life. One goal of Healthy People 2010 is to increase the number of people who participate in daily physical activity.* So whether you decide to do a regimented exercise program, house or yard work, walk a pet, or walk around town to complete errands, get up off the couch and get active!
(*Healthy People 2010 is a categorized listing of national health objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
About the author: C. Small is the Founder/President/CEO of CVS Unlimited, LLC and a health and fitness enthusiast with more than 31 years of military training. The Company’s desire is to help people achieve healthy lifestyles by combining good nutrition with the right exercises, and using the right equipment for lasting results.
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Tags: activities, aerobics, anaerobics, creatine, energy, exercises, physical, weight lifting
February 24th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
I’m working on getting six pack abs right now and it’s pretty challenging. Does anyone here have some suggestions as far as a good six pack abs diet? I’ve heard that egg whites, oatmeal, salmon, blueberries and broccoli are all necessary to include in your diet…are there any other foods I should include?
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March 13th, 2010 at 8:05 am
You make some interesting points…I’d like to know what you would advise in my situation. Right now I’m aiming to shed around 20 pounds and add muscle mass to my frame. But there are such a huge number of “systems” out there and I have no idea which one to trust. Can somebody point me towards a good plan for burning fat and adding muscle?
March 13th, 2010 at 11:20 am
You make some interesting points…I’d like to know what you would advise in my situation. Right now I’m aiming to shed around 20 pounds and add muscle mass to my frame. But there are such a huge number of “systems” out there and I have no idea which one to trust. Can somebody point me towards a good plan for burning fat and adding solid muscle?
March 29th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Hello guys. My name is Crystal. I am a certified athletic trainer with a Master’s degree in Athletic Training. Six pack abs are all the craze right now. It is understandable, I am one of those who constanly focuses on abdominals. Remember, diet as well as exercise are important. The rock hard abs are not going to just pop up because you cut out the sweets. My advice…keep it simple.
The “abs” are our core stabilizers, therefore they are always working which means they are also endurance muscles. Increase the reps of whichever abdominal exercise you prefer because this is what your abs were made to do. Don’t just do crunches alone. In all of your exercises you should focus on keeping your body still and only moving the extremities you are working on. In other words, keep your abs tight while you are doing hamstring curls, squats, biceps curls, etc. The Total Gym, which can be found on this website, is great for engaging the abdominals in all of your routine exercises and all of these exercises can be accomplshed on one machine! Yoga and pilates are great for ab work and core stabilization as well.
Now, as far as diet is concerned…cut down on the carbs (don’t completely eliminate them) and increase the protein. Of course, with any diet, make sure you ok it with your physician before starting. Carbs (and alcohol) “feed the belly fat” whereas protein “feeds the muscles.” I think that is the easiest way to explain without getting in to all of the technical jargon. Most of us have decent abs, but we have so much belly fat covering them they can’t be seen (lol).
I wish you all good luck in your six pack endeavors. Please let me know how it goes!
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