Exercise: A Broad Term

One of the biggest misunderstandings in the fitness world, especially among women, is what exercise really is. The classic assumption is that if you need to lose weight, you go to the gym every day and you spend 60 minutes on the elliptical.

While this is one way to exercise, it certainly isn't the only one. And it isn't always the best one. It really depends on what your goals are.

A Definition of Exercise

As I brainstormed for this article, I realized that exercise is actually rather difficult to define. But here's what I came up with.

Exercise is:

Repeated body movements or sustained muscle flexion/extension resulting in calorie expenditure in the short term, and increased endurance, muscle growth, improved flexibility, and/or better balance in the long term.

This is a broad definition, and I'd love to hear any suggestions for modifications to make it clearer. However, the broadness of the definition does allow us to also outline a few different types of exercise.

Exercise has many forms. Find out which one will suit you best.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is done at a low to moderate intensity, sustained over a long period of time. It's supposed to elevate your heart rate, which improves cardiovascular health. As a result, many people also call it cardio. Some examples of aerobic exercise are:

• Running

• Elliptical

• Walking

• Biking

• Dancing

• Most Sports

The goals that aerobic exercise best accomplishes are:

• Cardiovascular health

• Endurance

• Stress Reduction

• Overall Wellbeing

Note that aerobic exercise is not particularly effective for fat loss. This is because the calories burned are often much less than expected, and the same calorie expenditure can be accomplished more quickly and with less effort with anaerobic exercise.

That said, aerobic exercise is healthy for your body and mind and is never a bad thing to add to your exercise regimen in my opinion. It's also an excellent starting point if you have never exercised consciously before.

Anaerobic Exercise

Anaerobic exercise is done in short, intense bursts with rest periods in between. Some examples of anaerobic exercise include:

• Sprints

• Swimming Laps

• High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

• Weight Training

Swimming is one great example of anaerobic exercise.

The goals that anaerobic exercise best accomplishes are:

• Fat loss

• Muscle growth

• Sustained calorie expenditure

The lovely thing about anaerobic exercise is that it seems to increase the amount of calories you burn for a period of time even after you've stopped exercising. This is likely one of the main reasons it is so effective for fat loss.

That said, there are two different types of anaerobic exercise: weight training and HIIT. Both are excellent for fat loss, but weight training places more emphasis on building muscle and creating a specific physique, while HIIT builds a bit of muscle while elevating your heart rate and offering cardiovascular benefits. As such, HIIT is considered a form of cardio.

I would recommend going for HIIT if you can stick with it and are not concerned with building your muscles, as it offers more benefits. However, I find HIIT gets a bit boring for me and I want to build muscle, so I usually opt for weight training. Find what works for you.

Flexibility and Balance Training

I included "improved flexibility and/or better balance" in my definition of exercise because I think these are important components of many exercise and/or fitness routines. Some examples might include stretching or yoga.

My knowledge is severely lacking on this topic, so I will not do you a disservice by commenting on it extensively. However, I do believe that if you have some sort of exercise routine that incorporates balance or flexibility, keep doing it! And if you want to start one, do it! I find this sort of exercise very relaxing and centering, even if it is just stretching.

Which Exercise is the Best?

The best exercise regimen is the one that accomplishes your goals. Do you want to feel healthier and reduce stress? Aerobic exercise sounds great for you. Do you want to shed fat? Anaerobic might do you better. Do you want to improve your cardiovascular health AND shed fat? You could do HIIT or a combination of aerobic and anaerobic. And if you want to look muscular, then weight training is your pal.

If goals are less important to you or your goal is overall health, the best exercise is one you will enjoy and stick to. If weight training is too difficult for you and makes you regularly dread going to the gym, go for walks during the day instead. If you fucking hate running (me!) and would rather poke your eyes out, then download an app and do some HIIT at home.

Anything you do consistently will be infinitely better than nothing at all. And maybe eventually it'll give you the boost you need to make a next step if that's what you're aiming for! Go for it!

---

Thanks to the following websites for helping me with some of the information in this article:

• https://8fit.com/fitness/different-types-of-exercise-and-why-variety-is-important/

• https://inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/deciding-between-bodybuilding-and-hiit-to-improve-body-composition/

• https://experiencelife.com/article/steady-state-cardio-vs-high-intensity-interval-training/