Aerobic exercise means steady exercise that demands a steady output from your muscles over a 20-30 minute period. The word aerobic means air but more specially refers to the oxygen in the air. The muscles need oxygen to function and their need for oxygen goes up dramatically when we work the muscle. We can measure how hard a muscle is working by how much oxygen it is using or burning. As you exercise harder, your need for greater amounts of oxygen goes up along with your heart rate. Increase in your heart rate due to exercise is an indirect measure of how hard your muscles are working.
The main criteria of aerobic exercise are that it be continuous and steady. There is something about pushing a muscle to work hard at a steady pace that leads quickly to a firming of the muscles and a loss of its marbling. Stop and go exercising does not do the same thing as quickly.
The aerobic steady endurance types of exercises are sports like running, walking, skiing, skipping, swimming and cycling. The non aerobic exercises are short duration sports such as weight lifting, isometrics etc. Whatever the exercise, oxygen is vital for peak performance. |
