Don’t make burning calories the goal of exercise

“The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it’s unfamiliar territory.” -Paul Fix

If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then what is it called when you do the same thing over and over again expecting the same result, and never get that result?

Fact 1: Most people do not know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise or understand the results of one verses the other.

Fact 2: Most people’s exercise is predominately aerobic, and the little anaerobic exercise they think they’re doing is not anaerobic at all.

Fact 3: Because of facts 1 and 2, many people give up on exercise because they never experience the results they’re hoping for.

Aerobic means with air!

Aerobic exercise is a rhythmic movement of major muscle groups of the body, in such a way that you begin to breathe harder, taking in lots of oxygen (i.e., walking, jogging, cycling, etc.). The benefits of aerobic exercise are usually emphasized as cardiovascular and burning calories.

I strongly urge people not to make burning calories the goal of their exercise. Why? Because doing so can be very frustrating and confusing. You’ll replace most of the calories you burn with aerobic exercise by eating a bran muffin. If your goal is to lose weight and keep if off, you need to build muscle.

If aerobic means with air, then anaerobic means without air. I’ve discovered that there is a special group of people who understand the true meaning of anaerobic exercise but are unaware of the fact they do. This group consists of any women who’s given birth. That’s anaerobic exercise – and boy is it ever! During the birthing process, she’s stressing virtually every muscle in her body with great intensity, usually grunting, groaning, and at times screaming. During this workout, if she’s not careful, she can pass out because she’s stressing her muscles so hard that she’s not taking in much air. That’s why they started Lamaze-teaching her to keep breathing.

When I ask people if they’re doing anaerobic exercise, I’ll often get a response similar to this, “Oh yes, I now carry 3-pound weights when I walk or jog.” Based on the previous paragraph I don’t think I need to comment on how far off the mark that is to actually understand anaerobic exercise.

Anaerobic exercise is really any exercise done with vigorous intensity, or the maximum effort required to build strength. This can be anything from lifting weights, to peddling a bike very fast (called Spinning®) or running as fast as you can.

Here’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, what do you most want to accomplish with exercise? Do you want to (A) run a marathon someday, or (B) shape your body, build lean strong muscle, and lose fat? If you’re answer is (B) it’s quite possible you’re doing the wrong type of exercise. If so, it won’t be long before you’re standing in front of a mirror examining the results of your exercise, and say, “That’s it, I’m through exercising, I’m wasting my time!”