Aerobic Health Part 1

                                            

                                

    In the world of physical fitness, there is one assessment of overall health that I’ve noticed gets neglected. You’ve guessed it, aerobic health. If you visit any gym, you will see many more people playing basketball or lifting weights than running on a treadmill. Aerobic health is evaluated on how much cardiovascular endurance someone has. Examples include marathon runners, cross country runners, cyclists, swimmers, and soccer players. The question is, “Why do people neglect aerobic health?”

    There are two reasons people have expressed to me why they neglect aerobic health. One, most athletes compete in sports that require more anaerobic sufficiency ,which means without oxygen than aerobic,which means with oxygen. Two, people may focus on the negative outcomes of aerobic activity than the positive outcomes of aerobic activity. There are more consequences to excessive aerobic activity than just major fatigue and exhaustion.

    In addition to fatigue, muscle atrophy, and shin splints, excessive aerobic activity and/or training can lead to internal complications. Thyroid hormones are secreted at the exact same rate that our metabolism speeds up when we workout. Once this process reaches its peak, the thyroid will decrease its hormone secretion in order to preserve energy. This chain of events is the body trying to maintain homeostasis so that the body can continue pushing itself. Where’s the danger?

    Training past the point of homeostasis is what we refer to as overtraining in the kinesiology world. Overdoing something always has negative consequences. Excessive aerobic training can cause thyroids to lose their ability to function properly due to exhaustion. When this happens, you will start to gain weight as opposed to lose it, which contradicts the point of you doing aerobic exercises in the first place. How can I fix this?

    Contrary to popular belief, increased caloric intake for increased amount of physical activity is a simple but effective formula to keeping a balanced metabolism. Fat being stored and burned for energy, eliminates the body’s need to slow down thyroid hormone secretion. At this point it’s a matter of simple math. The body loses its need to preserve energy as fats serve as an energy source.

    As far as aerobic health is involved, in order to create a balanced metabolism you must control what you put into your body and how you use what you’ve put into your body.

 

                                                        References

1Excessive Aerobic Exercise – the Negative Impacts. (2013). Retrieved May 13, 2016, from http://www.return2health.net/articles/excessive-aerobic-exercise-the-negative-impacts/

2Poliquin - Healthy. Lean. Strong. (n.d.). Retrieved May 13, 2016, from http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/1069/Ten_Amazing_Benefits_of_Eating_Fat.aspx