Physical activity is one of the best weapons in the fight against obesity. Whether engaging in weight lifting or jogging, swimming or the 100-yard dash, burning calories and working off fat are as much a part of weight management as maintaining a healthy diet. But activity and diet also are not mutually exclusive. It takes both for complete health. It also takes both types of exercise, anaerobic and aerobic, and each has its own nutrition needs.
Anaerobic exercise is exercise performed in short, intense bursts of a few seconds to a couple of minutes, breaking down glucose and generating lactic acid with the goal of burning up glucose and fats. Aerobic exercise (also called “cardio,” and including such activities as running, rowing, bicycling) can be low- or high-intensity, but occurs over a longer period and works muscles differently. The goal with aerobic exercise, too, is to burn energy from stored calories.