Exercise is considered essential for life. Most people focus on food which works as a fuel for our body but physical activity works as a method to balance the fuel and the output. The human body is designed to be a machine that uses food as fuel. As a result of this fuel, it generates energy and this energy is mainly used for healing, physical work, and body functions. However, the food we eat is now becoming much more powerful than before. This as a result makes us eat more than we can use. Eventually, the extra food consumed gets converted into adipose tissues. In case the body no longer gets enough food, these adipose tissues are used for daily activity.
However, sometimes when the fat content increases to an alarming level our body gets obsessed because we are eating more and working less. This extra fat gets deposited into the arteries eventually blocking them and this can cause a heart attack. According to Harvard Health, the leading cause of global death rate is not because of any other disease but mainly because of a heart attack. To cater to this issue, physicals are recommending people to eat less but also work out more. A significant exercise that is recommended is known as a cardio workout. However, people usually get confused about cardio and aerobics.
With the help of this article, we will explore the concept of cardio exercises and aerobic exercises. We will also know how and why these terms are used interchangeably. We will further see if scientifically these exercises are the same.
The Term Cardio and Aerobic Exercise
The term cardio was invested by the term cardiac which refers to the heart muscles. Cardio is an exercise that helps you challenge your heart muscles and by doing so you are only trying to work on increasing the heart rate. Since heart rate will help your heart to clean the arteries and get rid of the fat deposited within these arteries, it is very important for a healthy heart and blood circulation system.
The term aerobic exercises refer to the use of oxygen for the training. When we work out, our body needs energy, and most of the time this energy is extracted from food digestion. However, if the food digestion is not enough for energy the deposited fat cells are used for extracting energy. For breaking down fat, you need oxygen. This kind of training where you use oxygen to take out energy is called aerobic exercise. The opposite of aerobic exercises is anaerobic exercises where you are not using oxygen instead, your body burns fat without using oxygen. However, as a byproduct of this type of training, you will be producing lactic acid as well. The anaerobic process is very vigorous and once it starts it doesn’t stop.
Are Cardio and Aerobics Same?
Technically cardio and aerobic exercises are not the same although most people use these terms interchangeably. The term cardio exercises mainly highlights the importance of exercise that will help with the heart rate. On the contrary, aerobic exercises are used mainly when your body uses oxygen to fuel your energy extraction process. Since most of the exercises perform both things at a time, they are categorized into the same term. However, there are so many other exercises that are not considerably termed as aerobic but since they challenge our cardiac system they can be termed as cardio exercises. The main reason is that most exercises will instantly impact your heartbeat and your blood circulation and you will also see that your breathing rate increases, as a result, people term these exercises as similar. However, sometimes anaerobic exercises are also part of cardiac training but they go unnoticed. It all comes down to the workout you choose and the pace you have for the workout.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, it is safe to say that both terms can be used interchangeably. However, if we look at the technique it is a little different. Cardio exercises mainly focus on heart health which means anything that helps you work on the health of the heart, be it simple exercises that can help you bring up your heartbeat, challenge your cardiac muscles and get your blood rushing, everything will be involved in cardio. However, when it comes to aerobic it is all about using oxygen to break up the stored fat. With the help of aerobics, you are technically helping your body to break down fat without making any byproducts. This process somehow is similar to the cardio exercises. Most of the exercises that are considered to be cardio-based are also considered to be aerobics. The main reason is that both these exercise types have more features in common rather than different from each other. In short, if you are just a beginner getting into the health and fitness work, you do not have to focus on the difference. However, if you still want to know, you will need to know in detail the reason cardio and aerobic exercises were initiated.
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