Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic Exercise

In the early 1980's Aerobic exercise was the most popular way to get in shape. The origin of aerobic exercise was coined in 1968 by Kenneth H. Cooper, U.S. physician, from the word aerobic which means any various sustained exercises such as, swimming, cycling, jogging, that stimulate and strengthen the heart and lungs, which require oxygen. (Online Etymology Dictionary) With aerobic exercise, oxygen is carried through the air that is breathed in to the muscles that are being used giving the cells the oxygen needed to produce the energy which is used for the activity being done. In other words, aerobic exercise means that continuous oxygen is needed in order to create enough energy needed to continue the workout. When we jog, swim, cycle, or perform any other aerobic exercises we use stored fat and glycogen as energy. These types of exercises can be done over long periods of time, because we are able to breathe in enough oxygen and exert enough carbon dioxide for our cells to continue to create ATP by the process of aerobic respiration; so the cells never produce lactic acid like they do in anaerobic exercises.

Unlike aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise does produce lactic acid, because the muscles in the body are not receiving enough oxygen. That is why we feel a burning sensation, which gets worse the longer we work, in the muscles being used while participating in anaerobic exercises such as, sprinting, weightlifting, or any activity that recruits the fast twitch muscle fibers.

The benefits of aerobic exercises to our health are difficulty to overstate. It has many physical and mental benefits that are vital and may extend the duration of our lives. Aerobic exercise improves our stamina and endurance when doing other exercises. It also strengthens and stretches our muscles, and it also can prevent diseases by controlling our amounts of fat by increasing metabolism rates and by using the fat while exercising.