The Difference Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises

Many people mistakenly believe that all vigorous forms of exercise are aerobic in nature. However, some forms of vigorous exercise are actually anaerobic, and have a very different effect on the body. If youre just getting started on an exercise regimen, this information will help you sort out the difference between the two and tailor your workouts accordingly.

So exactly what is the definition of aerobic exercise? Aerobic means with oxygen, where anaerobic is without oxygen. No, that doesnt entail holding your breath while exercising! Rather, it refers to cellular tissues producing energy without having to rely on oxygen availability. Alternatively, you may have guessed that aerobic exercise requires large supplies of oxygen to generate energy. The fundamental difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises is that simple.

A more detailed definition is that during aerobic exercise, activity is so sustained that it requires large amounts of oxygen. The muscles utilize oxygen to burn fat and glucose to manufacture adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the basic energy vehicle for all cells in the body. During the initial stages of aerobic exercise, glycogen is transformed into glucose. If glucose stores become depleted, fat is metabolized as fuel. Its interesting to note that runners high occurs when muscles have exhausted their immediate glycogen stores and begin relying only on oxygen, which releases endorphins in the brain.

During anaerobic exercise, the muscles being used rely on energy-producing processes that dont require large amounts of oxygen. Instead, the body metabolizes muscle glycogen to produce power. Glycogen is supplied by blood sugar, which is manufactured by the liver from dietary amino acids and carbohydrates--whole grain, of course! Anaerobic exercise is so fast and brief that it doesn't have time to rely on oxygen, so glycogen is used.

Some people mistakenly believe that aerobic exercise makes you small and weak. However, it actually tones muscle throughout your body and burns fat. This will make you look good in your bathing suit--not to mention your birthday suit! The effects that aerobic activity has on your body are not merely cosmetic - there are numerous health bonuses, such as:

Improved circulation and lower blood pressure
Increased lung capacity through stronger respiratory muscles
A stronger heart, which boosts pumping efficiency and lowers the resting heart rate
Increased red blood cell count, which transports oxygen more efficiently throughout the entire body
Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

The effects that anaerobic exercise has on your body involves being able to deliver powerful performance on demand. That comes in handy when sprinting to the finish line, or making a break to score after stealing the ball. Muscles that are anaerobically trained develop differently, which boosts their performance in brief, high-intensity situations. Benefits include:

Stronger bones
Reduced muscle atrophy with age
Increased speed and power
Increased muscle strength and mass

Its important to understand the different types of exercises that produce an aerobic vs. anaerobic effect. Anaerobic benefits are produced by brief, high-intensity activities, while in the aerobic zone, effort is moderate with a steady heart rate.

Specific types of anaerobic exercise include tennis, weight lifting, sprinting and jumping. If youd prefer not to frequent a gym, weight lifting can be performed in the comfort of your own home. A few dumb-bells, a weight bench and medicine ball are all you need.

Some good aerobic exercises are walking, running, swimming, cycling, cross-country skiing and rowing. Fortunately, you can do aerobic exercises at home: riding an exercise bike, walking on a treadmill, or following an exercise video - the choices are virtually endless. This is particularly helpful if its rainy or drastically cold outdoors. Also, depending on where you live, going snow-shoeing, hiking or kayaking is possible without ever having to step foot in the car!

Combining aerobic and anaerobic exercise is essential to maintaining overall balanced fitness. While most associate getting into shape with aerobic activities, anaerobic exercise is a beneficial complement to aerobic exercise. For example, weight lifting is a great way to add even more tone and definition beyond what aerobic training provides.

Be sure to check with your physician before beginning any exercise regimen. Also, its very important to begin any exercise program slowly. Many people overdo it and lose motivation or worse yet, sustain injury. You may experience a little soreness the day after working out in the beginning; but if you are so sore that you can only work out one or two times per week it is counter-productive. Make exercise a healthy habit by doing a little every day; you can increase the intensity as you build endurance and strength over time.

Of course, a daily exercise routine is just one factor in the equation for optimum health. You should also enjoy a nutritious and delicious diet, get eight hours of sleep every night, say no habits such as smoking and excessive drinking, and make sure you get the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to look and feel its best.

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Cl Yoga

Lose Weight, Gain Back Your Life

Im going to share with you a simple but very life changing technique that will change the many years of overeating, emotional eating or yoyo diets. It has changed my life and the lives of all those who have undertaken my program.

In order to move forward you need to look back. Back on the things that keep reoccurring that stop you from breaking through those overeating barriers which are: Fanatical Dieting, Emotional Eating and Conditioning (see my article 3 reason why we fail at dieting.

For those who live in the 3 reasons why we fail at dieting mode, I am going to share with you for FREE a very simple technique to overcome it. It doesnt matter whether you believe in it or not. All you have to do is do it and you will start to have changes instantaneously.

Fanatical dieters

Scientific research shows 90% of people who attempt to lose weight FAIL and how do the 90% of people who fail feellike failures, but they keep dieting anyway thinking the next diet will be the one that works. Some success, then no success and although some weight may have been lost it all gets piled back on againmaking you feel once again like a failure.

Let me make one thing quite clear. You are not stupid, dumb or lazy. Losing weight has nothing to do with will power or lack of it. So get that information out of your head.

Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is the second most proven reason for overeating, causing obesity in the world. Eating because of boredom, loneliness, being miserable, tired and a million and one other reasons none of which has anything to do with physical hunger.

Emotional eating is a nagging, get rid of the nagging and no more emotional eating.

Conditioning

Basically over a period of time of overeating you have conditioned your mind and body to be that way. No amount of dieting, will power, pills and shakes can change that.

The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change the way you think about food and your relationship with it. Its about reprogramming our mind and body again.

Solution

Emotional Freedom Technique! Im not going to go into the how tos ,where fors or history of Emotional Freedom Technique. You can go to my website for that. Basically the precept of this technique is the cause of all negative emotion is a block in the bodys energy system. Get rid of the block and you nullify the emotion.

Once again to utilize this technique you only need DO IT! You dont have to believe in it that really doesnt matter but to get the full benefits of it you do need to DO IT!

Emotional Freedom Technique works by tapping on parts of the bodys energy meridian and speaking some affirmations. No pills, No shakes, No exercise equipment, No drugs, No side effects, No money passing handsjust the technique.

Tapping

You will be using your pointer and middle fingers from either hand to do the tapping. At each meridian you will tap 7 times, give or take this method is very forgiving.

The Setup

The most important part of the technique is the setup. To do this we say an affirmation whilst tapping or rubbing a particular spot. For the purpose of this exercise I am going to show you the karate chop set up. If you have a look at your hand, palm facing you, look at the side of the hand from the top of the pinky finger down to the wrist. Just above the wrist is a flesh part where one would normally do a karate chophave you found it. If so this is the area you will tap using you pointer and middle fingers.

Okso now that we have all of that out of the way I want you to tap you karate spot for practice.

Basic Recipe - The Meridians

The meridians are as follow, try and find it on your body as I mention it. Practice a little so you become familiar with them.

1.Eye Brow this is the beginning of the eyebrow above the nose

2.Side of Eye this can be found the bone at the end of the eyebrow

3.Under Eye on the cheekbone under the eye

4.Under Nose- under the nose above the top lip

5.Chin the crevasse between the lower lip and the chin

6.Collar bone just under the collar bone

7.Armpit halfway down under the armpit

8.Thumb under the nail of the thumb

9.Pointer finger bottom side of the nail facing the thumb

10.Middle finger - bottom side of the nail facing the thumb

11.Little finger - bottom side of the nail facing the thumb

Repeat 1 to 7

The Affirmation Statements

Whilst tapping your karate spot you say an affirmation that is specific to you. Where there are blanks you fill in the reason. For the purpose of this exercise we are going to work on a particular food craving of yours. What I want you to do is go buy yourself what ever it is you craving, keeping in mind you may not want to eat it when you finish this exercise.

Before you start this exercise I want you to rate your desire to want what ever it is you have a craving for. I want you to smell it and savor the smell. I want you to have a small bite. Now on a scale from 0 10, 0 being no craving, 10 being crave it, write it down on a piece of paper for later reference.

The Statement

Whilst tapping your karate spot say the following affirmation as loud as you possibly can, if you cant say it out loud, say it loud in your mind. Repeat the affirmation and tapping 3 times.

Even though I have a craving for I deeply and completely accept myself Repeat 2 more times

Now follow the Basic Recipe, whilst tapping at each meridian say craving for .

Even though I still have a craving for I deeply and completely accept myself

When you finish rate yourself from 0 10 again and write it down. You should notice a shift in your desire to eat what ever it is you desire, even to the point it no longer taste the same to you. If you havent reached a 0, repeat this exercise again.

The Emotional Freedom Technique works equally well on the 3 reasons why we fail at dieting, this can be overcome using my highly successful Gain Back Your Life Lose Weight Program.

If you have any comments of how you went or need some assistance, go to my website for contact details.

Happy recovery because today you have started to gain back your life.

Author Bio: Gillian Tarawhiti BSc, Dip BM, Dip Ed, is Founder and CEO of Community Training Centre & Gain Back Your Life Centre, A registered EFT Practitioner, Member of AAMET and Online Training and Support to the new and not so new netpreneurs. Gillian is also the author of eBay Billion Dollar Goldmine, and the creator of the Multiple Ripple Effect System 2004. Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to http://www.gainbackyourlife-eft.com

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