When you walk into any gym or fitness class, you may hear about things like aerobic and anaerobic exercise. While they may sound technical, the difference is actually pretty simple: both types of exercise play an important role in your health, and your body benefits from having a balance of each. One isn’t better than the other, although understanding how they work can help you build a more well-rounded workout routine that supports your overall wellness.
What Is Aerobic Exercise?
Aerobic exercise is any activity that keeps your heart rate elevated for an extended period. This is what we traditionally think of as a cardio workout. Your body uses oxygen to produce energy during the workout. Aerobic workouts are typically steady and sustainable, allowing you to continue moving for several minutes or longer.
Examples of aerobic exercise:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Hiking
- Dancing
Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs while also improving your endurance. It also promotes healthy circulation, helps manage stress, and can leave you feeling more energized throughout the day.
What Is Anaerobic Exercise?
Anaerobic exercise works a little differently. Instead of relying primarily on oxygen for fuel, your body uses stored energy to power short bursts of higher intensity activity. These efforts typically last anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes and require more recovery between sets.
Examples of anaerobic exercise:
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Sprinting
- Heavy strength training & weightlifting
- Jumping exercises
- Short hill climbs
Anaerobic exercise helps build muscle, increase strength, and improve bone strength. It also challenges your body to prepare you for lifting, carrying, climbing stairs, and other everyday activities that require strength and stability.
Why Your Body Needs Both
It’s easy to assume you should choose one style of exercise over the other, but they actually complement each other well. Together, they make a more well-rounded routine, and you don’t need an elaborate fitness plan to experience these benefits. These benefits aren’t just for adults, either. Kids also need a healthy mix of movement that gets their hearts pumping, along with activities that build strength, coordination, and confidence. You don’t have to become a marathon runner or spend hours lifting weights to improve your health.
How Chiropractic Care Fits In
It’s much easier to stick to an exercise routine when your body moves comfortably. At Bare Chiropractic, we focus on helping your body move and function the way it was designed to with chiropractic care. We look beyond the symptoms to better understand what’s affecting your movement and overall function.
At the end of the day, aerobic and anaerobic exercise aren’t competing approaches to fitness. They are simply two different ways to help your body become stronger, healthier, and more resilient. At Bare Chiropractic, we believe movement is an important part of whole-body health. If pain or limited mobility is making it harder to stay active, we’re here to help. If you’re looking for a Billings chiropractor who can support your long-term health and help you keep moving, we’d love to welcome you to our office.
Sources
Alves, J.G.B., Alves, G.V. “Effects of physical activity on children’s growth.” Journal of Pediatrics (Rio J). 2019 Mar-Apr; 95 Suppl 1:72-78. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30593790/
“Fitness training: Elements of a well-rounded routine.” Mayo Clinic, 3 Jul 2025. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/fitness-training/art-20044792
