Cardio vs. Aerobics: What’s the Difference?

When it comes to fitness, there’s an old saying: “there’s no such thing as a stupid question.” This fact is especially true when it comes to the differences between cardio and aerobics. Both forms of exercise use your body’s large muscle groups to burn fat, but the similarities stop there.

You’ve been told you need to do cardio to lose weight, but which one should you actually do? Cardio and aerobics are the same. Well, sort of. Cardio is a broad term used to describe any type of physical activity that gets the heart pumping. On the other hand, aerobics is a specific type of exercise that uses the large muscle groups of the arms and legs. Cardio gets the blood pumping and is an effective way to lose weight, especially if combined with a healthy diet.

What Is Cardio Exercise?

Cardio exercise can be anything from running on a treadmill to jumping rope to swimming laps. They are types of exercises that get your heart rate up, but they aren’t the only type of workout method. Other types of exercise include strength training, yoga, Pilates, and any form of exercise that primarily uses your large muscle groups. Cardio exercise is good for overall fitness, helping you maintain a healthy weight and get stronger.

Benefits of Cardio Exercise

  • Reduce Risk of Heart Attack. Exercise is great at reducing risk factors for heart disease, but did you know it can also help you lose weight and reduce blood pressure? Because of the way it works, cardio exercise has been proven to reduce risk factors for heart disease.
  • Relieve for mental health. Physical activity can improve your mood, provide stress relief, improve your ability to handle stress, and lower the risk of depression.
  • Improve your sex life. While everyone knows that exercise is great for your health, many do not realize that it also has lasting effects on your sex life. Regular cardio exercise improves your stamina, boosts your energy level, and helps you look and feel better. It may also improve your sex life by improving your circulation.

What Is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobics exercise definition means any physical activity that increases the heart and breathing rate for an extended period of time. This type of activity gets progressively easier over time and can be done by almost everyone. According to the Mayo Clinic, aerobic exercise “provides the greatest health benefits and is typically associated with a lower risk of injury than other exercise types.”

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

  • It improves your circulation and helps your body use oxygen better. Aerobic exercise creates energy through your body’s use of oxygen. That energy burns calories and improves your circulation, helps your body use oxygen better, and helps improve your muscle strength.
  • It helps you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Physical activity improves your quality of life in many ways. It lowers your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. It strengthens your muscles and bones and can also boost your mood and increase your energy. When you exercise regularly, you lower your risk of obesity and weight control challenges.
  • It helps reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression. Reduced stress, tension, anxiety, and depression are three common physical symptoms that are often experienced with a lack of regular exercise. But in addition to that, regular exercise can lower your risk of many chronic illnesses and improve your overall health.

When it comes to exercise, it’s easy to get confused. We’ve got cardio, and we’ve got aerobics. And one’s better than the other? Well, that depends.

Cardio and aerobics are both forms of exercise. But, while you may be familiar with their etymological roots, you may not be aware of the differences between these two types of exercise. Many popular fitness fads use both terms interchangeably, but they are actually used to denote two different things.

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