Archives for November 2012

Difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises

It is a well known fact that in order to increase ones fitness levels it is essential that a regular exercise routine is carried out but what type of exercises should be carried out? There are lots of articles written by fitness specialists about aerobic and anaerobic fitness programs so it is important to define exactly what  is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

So what is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises?

1. AEROBICS AND AEROBIC EXERCISES

Exertion that is lower in exertion level and lengthier in duration is called aerobic exercise.which is done to train the muscles to be more active for increased periods of time. It is commonly referred to endurance training

Aerobic ( literally meaning ‘requiring air or oxygen’ ) is is generally known as a type of rhythmic activity aerobic exercise which is used for improving one’s fitness levels in relation to muscular strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health. This form of exercise makes the lungs work harder to produce more oxygen as energy for the body’s needs.

To be effective for one’s health the exercises should be carried out at moderate levels of intensity over a period of time in order to produce oxygen to burn up fats and sugar in ones body. Getting at least 20 minutes of sustained aerobic exercise about three times a week, together with a good nutritious diet, will generally keep a person healthy.

It is important to ensure that your heart and lungs are worked hard enough and for long enough to gain the benefits of aerobic exercise but not so long that you run the risk of injury.However you should pace yourself depending on your fitness levels starting slower at first then gradually working up the duration and frequency of the exercises.

 

EXAMPLES OF TYPES OF AEROBIC EXERCISES

The health benefits of aerobic and anaerobic exercises

The health benefits of aerobic and anaerobic exercises

Lower impact aerobic exercises

  • Swimming
  • Cycling
  • Using an elliptical trainer exercise machine
  • Walking
  • Rowing
  • Using equipment to provide an an upper body cardiovascular workout. (Upper Body Ergometer )

Higher impact aerobic exercise includes:

  • Running long distance at moderate speed
  • Jumping rope
  • Performing high impact routines or step aerobics

 

BENEFITS OF AEROBIC EXERCISES

  • Increased energy levels
  • Reduced stress and improved mental health
    (due to the release of ‘feel good’ endorphins in the brain)
  • Increased heart and lung efficiency
  • Reduced blood pressure, resting heart rate and risk of stroke or heart attack.

 

2. ANAEROBICS AND ANAEROBIC EXERCISES

Anaerobic (“without oxygen”) exercise is the opposite of aerobic exercise  as your body does not use oxygen to help produce energy when you exercise anaerobically like it does when you exercise aerobically. Instead the body’s muscles switch to burning mainly carbohydrates, a fuel that burns quickly and does not require oxygen.

Anaerobic exercise is usually high intensity muscular activity that lasts for short durations of time and give you the best benefits for building and toning lean muscle. This is important as the more lean muscle you have the higher your basal metabolic rate resulting in you burning more calories during the day and night.

 

The health benefits of aerobic and anaerobic exercises

EXAMPLES OF TYPES OF ANAEROBIC EXERCISES

  • Weight lifting
  • Resistance based exercises – calisthenics or exercising with your own body weight ( push-ups, pull-ups etc.)
  • Resistance band exercises
  • Sprinting at high intense level

 

BENEFITS OF ANAEROBIC EXERCISES

  • Reshapes the body and improves appearance
  • Builds and maintains lean body mass
  • Increases bone strength and density
  • Helps prevent health problems
  • Reduces body fat

 

SUMMARY

It is fair to say that when comparing the merits and the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises both forms of exercise are equally as good for one’s overall health and wellness. To derive the maximum benefits of each type of exercise you should ideally be doing both as each has its own specific advantages. If cost is a consideration you can achieve free benefits of each by simply going for a brisk walk for 30 minutes to an hour each day ( your cardio workout ) which is followed by a series of resistance based exercises. ( your strength workout )

As a proper diet combined with exercise is essential to ones wellbeing check out the following video  which will give you useful healthy eating tips to complement your exercise program.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

 

 

 

jk1Keep fit and enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle.

James Kelly

http://www.learnhandyhealthandwellnesstips.com

 

High Wycombe, Western Australia,6057

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Aerobic techniques for proper breathing.

A great way to lose weight and avoid the adverse health affects associated with obesity is to take up aerobic exercises and learn aerobic techniques for proper breathing. Not only will aerobic techniques help you to improve your overall health and wellness but the exercises will pump more oxygen into your blood vessels. Such physical activity will increase your body’s metabolism and burn up calories and fat. The word ‘aerobic’ literally means “living in air” and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet ones energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism in the body.

aerobic techniques

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recent research studies have painted a dismal picture of the state of general health for people living in the USA and no doubt if one looked at studies conducted elsewhere in the world comparable results would be seen for other countries as well. Statistics have shown that almost 300,000 annual adult deaths in the USA are as a result of illnesses caused from lack of physical activity and unhealthy diets with about one third of the total adult population being regarded as obese. Adults are not the only ones having weight problems as studies have also shown alarming increases in the figures for overweight children and teenagers because of lifestyle changes.

Aerobic techniques

Here are 3 aerobic techniques points to be considered in a health and wellness program:-

1. Is it possible to lose weight through aerobic techniques for proper breathing?

aerobic techniquesIt is a well known fact that proper breathing is an extremely important aspect in different types of exercises particularly in yoga where breathing exercises can remove stress and relax the body and mind. There are several different aerobic programs which involve breathing to achieve weight loss each having their own techniques and instructions. It is however important to note that whatever program is followed dramatic results in weight loss won’t occur overnight and that being obese or overweight won’t be remedied by aerobic breathing techniques alone. Proper diet combined with exercise is vital to achieve good weight loss

results and aerobic breathing exercises can supplement these to achieve better results. Many people these days are shallow breathers with most of us probably only using 20% of our lung capacity. Using aerobic techniques for proper breathing helps our body maximize its potential and great health results can be achieved by breathing properly for short periods each day.

2. So why is it important to breathe properly?

Shallow breathing can diminish the power of the lungs by preventing oxygen from reaching all of our body tissues. The operation of breathing deeply and fully will oxygenate the brain and body, flushing out waste, toxins and other pollutants and transforming our health in the process. Abdominal deep breathing aerobic techniques can assist in reducing cellulite, improving blood circulation, skin tone, digestion and even sleep.

3. How do we breathe aerobically to stretch the lungs to its capacity? aerobic techniques

  • Sit up straight
  • Breathe out from the lungs using your stomach muscles making sure you force out all the air in the lungs
  • Hold your breath for a while
  • Breathe in through the nose pulling your stomach in
  • Repeat the above for up to 20 times counting to three for each breath in and breath out motion

Conclusion

Let’s face it most people want to have lean looking bodies but care must be taken to ensure that they don’t go to extremes with crash diets and unrealistic exercise routines to achieve that goal. It is far better for them to adopt a sensible eating diet, eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and other healthy food types, combined with moderate exercise to do this.

Setting realistic goals is what is needed in aerobics and any weight loss program so that one achieves them more easier at their own pace. Aerobic techniques for proper breathing may not be the magic bullet for the trim body objective but they can certainly help us improve overall health situation

For more health tips on how to achieve a lean looking body check out the Get Lean Program

 

aerobic techniques for proper breathingKeep fit and enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle.

James Kelly

http://www.learnhandyhealthandwellnesstips.com

High Wycombe, Western Australia,6057

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Aerobic fitness equipment needed for an effective workout.

Exercise workouts through aerobics are not only great for your body but also for your overall health and wellness. These are also a great way for you to lose weight and trim off unwanted belly fat. Whilst aerobic exercises are good for maintaining high levels of fitness as it is like walking, jogging or similar exercise routines, using ‘aerobic fitness equipment‘ makes exercising even more fun and at the same time enables you burn up calories faster through a more effective exercise workout.

aerobic fitness equipment

 You will find below the types of equipment which could be used for different aerobic exercises, Some are expensive and others relatively cheaper. It really depends on your budget as to what you select and also whether your aerobic exercises are to be carried out in a gym or at home.

So what types of aerobic fitness equipment will you need?

• STEP BENCH

aerobic fitness equipment

aerobic fitness equipment

This is usually the most common type of aerobic fitness equipment. The height of the step varies depending on the leg movements that would be used. Naturally, the height will depend on the experience and expertise of the person using it. Therefore, a beginner would generally start with a low 4-inch step. As you become more experienced with this type of workout, the height would gradually increase to build more endurance and flexibility. The good thing about this type of aerobic fitness equipment is that step benches are generally light enough to be carried anywhere.

When buying this equipment, choose a bench with a non-slip surface for safety reasons. Also remember that buying a higher step bench will generally mean a more intense workout which may be inadvisable if you are a beginner for this type of exercise.

• HAND WEIGHTS

aerobic fitness equipment

aerobic fitness equipment

Lifting weights is another component of an aerobic exercise program. If you are seriously trying to build muscle, then you should initially start with 3 and 5 pound weights. Gloves are recommended when using hand weights as they enable you to grip the weights better. Weights are also used in Water aerobics where people taking part in aquatic exercises use customized weights.

• STATIONARY BICYCLE

Unlike ordinary bicycles these are located only in one fixed position. This type of bicycle provides a no-impact aerobic workout that can strengthen and tone the muscles of the legs and buttocks. Stationary exercise bicycles allow for more variety of movement, such as riding while in a standing or racing position, which enables more muscle groups to be exercised as a rider changes position. To measure the exercise progress made, an ergometer is installed on the bicycle. There are even those which have computers that contain up to date details of the exercise information and sessions. The more computerized features that are on these type of bicycles the higher the cost of the equipment. There are lots of different types of stationary bicycles, and you don’t necessarily have to buy the most feature full and expensive model to achieve desired results from this type of aerobic fitness equipment.

• TREADMILL

aerobic fitness equipment

Treadmills can also be very expensive. You will find that many fitness centers will sell manual operation as well as motorized versions of treadmills. Features on the treadmills include pulse monitor, book rack and bottle holder. To stave off boredom the more computerized models include video and audio players to entertain you whilst exercising. The most important factor when buying a treadmill is its size as it needs to be able to fit into the room you have selected in your house for exercising in.

• ROWING MACHINE

aerobic fitness equipment

aerobic fitness equipment

Like treadmills these can also be expensive. Rowing machines have a number of design features that permit you to increase the cardiovascular intensity of an exercise workout. Like stationary bikes rowing machines allow you to set higher resistance levels in order to push your cardiovascular system to greater limits. Unlike stationary bikes, rowing machines utilize dual-action movements, giving you a solid full-body workout. You can adjust the machine settings to increase the resistance for both the upper and lower body on the machine.

CONCLUSION

When carrying out aerobic exercises, it is important that you use the right clothes and shoes. Ensure that the clothes will allow your body to move easily and that the shoes are comfortable enough to keep you well balanced during your exercise workout.

Apart from paying attention to wearing the proper workout clothes, it is important to also get advice from your doctor or health-care provider with regard to what kind of aerobic fitness equipment and get lean program would be suitable for your health needs. If it is too costly to buy aerobic fitness equipment consider instead the option of signing up for a fitness center membership provided that they offer the aerobic equipment you would like to use.

 

Keep fit and enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle.

James Kelly

http://www.learnhandyhealthandwellnesstips.com

High Wycombe, Western Australia,6057

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