What is Exercise?
There are three basic ways to think about movement of the body: flexibility, aerobic and anaerobic.
Flexibility exercises help increase range of motion of a joint and is based in stretching. The outcome is intended to improve the functional movement of the muscles and connective tissue to enhance optimal performance.
Aerobic exercises, by definition, are rhythmic in nature and are sustained, continuous movements. The term aerobic means with oxygen and this simply supports the fact that the body can produce energy at the same rate energy is being used. Therefore, the activity can be done over an extended amount of time. Some aerobic activities include cycling, walking, running, jumping rope and swimming. Aerobic activities strengthen the cardiovascular systems in the body: heart, lungs and vascular system.
The third category of physical movement is anaerobic. Anaerobic means without oxygen and simply means that the body cannot produce enough energy through the oxygen delivery systems to sustain this type of movement over long periods of time. So think about anaerobic activities like weight lifting and sprinting; you can only bench press a weight for a short period of time or you can only run at top speeds for short periods of time before you become exhausted and need to stop. Anaerobic exercise is used to increase the capacity of the muscles to perform greater work.
The goal will be to engage in all three physical types movement daily. Your core workout should be Curves AT LEAST three times a week, where you get all three types of movement; aerobic, strength training/anaerobic, and stretching/flexibility. There are ways to move aerobically at home doing housework and yard work, and anaerobic ways to move by lifting groceries, moving furniture or physical labor. You can even engage in stretching activities in the chair in your office or stretching between chores at home.
Bottom line, exercise aerobically, anaerobically and stretch every day. Use your journal to not only record what you are consuming in terms of nutrition but also record the ways you are staying physically active inside and outside the gym.
