Physical Activity

The Best Kind of Exercise

Posted by Timothy Chifamba on

The eternal debate exists among those who are into physical activity – which is the best type of exercise? John and Jane both walk into the same gym. John gets onto the threadmill and runs 6km, Jane heads straight for the weight lifting section and she won’t leave till she has reached her goal. Who is the true winner? Who should expect a better health outcome?

Aerobic Exercise

Exercise can be classified into two broad categories – aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Aerobic Exericse is intentional physical activity that results in the heart pumping blood faster and increased breathing pace. It is most commonly referred to as “cardio” and it includes activities such as running, cycling, power walking, and swimming. Benefits of regular “cardio” include:

  1. Weight Loss
  2. Lower blood Pressure
  3. Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular disease
  4. Reduced Anxiety, Depression and Stress 1
  5. Improved Memory 2
  6. Longer Life Expectancy
  7. Management of Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and coronary heart disease 3

Anaerobic Exercise

Anaerobic Exercise is physical activity that is so intense such that the body cannot cope with providing oxygen to the muscles. Examples of anaerobic exercise include sprinting, power weight lifting, Jump training, and high intensity interval training (HIIT). Benefits of anaerobic exercise include:

  1. Building of muscles
  2. Stronger Bones
  3. Improved endurance 4
  4. Weight loss (HIIT)
  5. Reduced Anxiety, Depression and Stress 5

The Best of Both Worlds

As you may have figured by now, both types of exercise offer key benefits. So instead of getting caught up in the debate of which of the two is better, remember that some exercise is better than no exercise and ultimately if you want to truly be the winner and choose to switch it up and include both aerobic and anaerobic in your exercise schedule.

References

  1. Knapen, J., Vancampfort, D., Moriën, Y., & Marchal, Y. (2014). Exercise therapy improves both mental and physical health in patients with major depression. Disability And Rehabilitation, 37(16), 1490-1495. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2014.972579
  2. Stroth, S., Hille, K., Spitzer, M., & Reinhardt, R. (2009). Aerobic endurance exercise benefits memory and affect in young adults. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 19(2), 223-243. doi: 10.1080/09602010802091183
  3. Mersy, D. (1991). Health benefits of aerobic exercise. Postgraduate Medicine, 90(1), 103-112. doi: 10.1080/00325481.1991.11700983
  4. Patel, H., Alkhawam, H., Madanieh, R., Shah, N., Kosmas, C., & Vittorio, T. (2017). Aerobicvsanaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. World Journal Of Cardiology, 9(2), 134. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134
  5. Martins, R., Coelho, E., Pindus, D., Teixeira, A., Veríssimo, M., Cumming, S., & Silva, M. (2020). Effects of strength and aerobic-based training on functional fitness, mood and the relationship between fatness and mood in older adults. – PubMed – NCBI. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21904289

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