An Introduction to Aerobics and Fitness

The Importance of Physical Fitness

While in the not so distant past physical exercise was commended yet mostly left to the segment of the population that would either serve in the armed forces or have physically demanding jobs.

Societal changes, such as an ageing populace that is experiencing longer and healthier lives than their predecessors, have brought working out and overall fitness through exercise into the forefront of most everyone’s mind. In many ways, the popularity of exercise locations and gear has given way to fads, bigger and more expensive equipment, and entire clothing lines that capitalize on the appeal to a fit and trim exercise devotee.

Those who take their exercise regimens seriously can now be seen at fitness centers throughout the nation working out before and after work, during lunch breaks, and on the weekends. A food industry has sprung up geared toward the needs of athletes; there are now specially formulated bars and shakes that will help to increase muscle strength and endurance, increase weight loss, and increase fat burn. At the same time, however, more and more people are being diagnosed with clinical obesity, in some cases even morbid obesity which carries a host of health problems along with it.

This seeming paradox is easily explained with the sedentary lifestyle that is encouraged in a country of plenty where most work is being performed by machines that are being controlled remotely by computers and their operators. Fast food – laden with calories – relieves the average American from cooking a nutritious meal when getting home late and prepackaged snacks that are little more than fat, sugar and salt sprinkled on carbohydrates.

To counteract this alarming rate of obesity among a population that knows the value of exercise and the health risks of its sedentary lifestyle, diet fads are sought out to quickly counteract the ravages of unwise living. Low carb dieting has become the latest craze which took the country by storm and which – at least in the short term – affected many people’s insulin levels and thus helped them to loose weight. While each and every diet touts the importance of a combination of a proper diet with a form of healthy exercise, many a newbie does not know exactly where to start.

For those who are ready to begin their very own exercise regimen, the first visit to a gym might be intimidating. Buff musclemen and seeming torture devices do very little to help you understand where to start. Yet it is not as daunting as it may seem! Considering that there are two forms of exercise – anaerobic and aerobic – the proper combination of the two is the trick that will get your metabolism and fitness going. Anaerobic exercises focus on muscle strength and muscle building while aerobic workouts are targeted toward fat loss. When done together, they make for an unbeatable duo.