What is Anaerobic Exercise?

Anaerobic exercise involves pushing yourself to the point where you are doing an activity at an intensity where it feels like you cannot get enough oxygen while depleting your body's fuel storage. We exercise anaerobically in order to build up more lean muscle mass. Do you have loose skin around your midsection that doesn't seem to be getting any tighter despite all the cardio you are doing (good job, by the way!)? More than likely, you have loose skin in that area from your weight loss and the only way to tighten it up is to incorporate some anaerobic activities into your workout routines.

Anaerobic exercises include things like sprinting on land, in water, or on your bike; or adding resistance training to your routines. Resistance training sounds intimidating, but if you are not comfortable being in a weight room around people that seem to know every trick to weight lifting, have no fear, you have alternatives.

While I highly encourage you to add weight lifting to your exercise routines after you gain some confidence, I understand the intimidation factor many new gym-goers feel when they enter the weight room for the first time. A fun way to start finding resistance workouts is to attend group exercise classes. Like I said before, anaerobic exercise is just making yourself do an activity while your body struggles to meet the oxygen demands you are placing on it (sounds like death...I promise it's not!), so high-intensity Zumba, my aqua aerobic classes (shameless self-promotion), Turbo Kick, Body Pump, Body Combat, RPM, TRX...the list is on-going and all of those incorporate an interval style approach to anaerobic activity. Doing bursts of anaerobic activities is a staple of any good group exercise class, if the instructor doesn't incorporate anaerobic sets between their aerobic sets, then don't go back to their class. Seriously, you're just wasting your time. I have seen instructors tell classes to wiggle their fingers and try to call that cardio...for real.

If you aren't in a position to purchase a gym membership at this time, fear not, there are anaerobic activities you can do at home. Classic exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, prisoner squats, and forward lunges can all be done in the comfort and privacy of your own home. I found a great article from Men's Health magazine (ladies are more than capable, and encouraged, to try these too) outlining correct technique and gives you a rep number to start with, click below.

10 Minute Fat Blaster

So don't lie to yourself and tell yourself that you can't do anaerobic exercises/can't afford a gym membership/are too busy, this is your life and I want you to be as healthy and happy as you possibly can. The options for different forms of exercises are abundant, try one, then try another one, then try another one, and another...until you find what you enjoy and what works for you.