What is the difference between strength training and aerobic exercise?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 34-year-old male living a sedentary lifestyle. I came across aerobic exercise and strength training online and would like to know which one would be more suitable for me. Please tell me the differences between aerobic exercise and strength training. How can strength training contribute to weight loss in someone with a sedentary lifestyle like mine? In my case, is aerobic exercise more effective for weight loss than strength training? What are the specific benefits of aerobic exercise for someone looking to lose weight? Can you explain how strength training helps in burning calories and shedding excess weight?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com

Thank you for your query.

Yes, sitting for long hours will eventually lead to low physical activity and make your life more sedentary which mainly leads to slow recovery or over burnout. Do not make drastic life changes or restricted diets you cannot sustain for longer. Start with small goals like 3000 steps a day or having 4 glasses of water and it can be customized as per your lifestyle and needs. Check for your blood reports and vitamin screening with hemoglobin. Low levels can lead to low energy and metabolism, which can lead to weight gain. Check for the obesity stage by calculating your BMI (body mass index) with no random calculations or assuming you are obese. Identify lifestyle changes or stress factors because you have not mentioned more details to guide you more on it but there is change work toward it. Get up and stretch yourself after every 45 minutes to 1 hour as sitting for long can be damaging to our posture. At work, walk the length of the office every hour or two to keep your back happy, your muscles supple, and your blood circulating. Indulge into some deep breathing exercises, it will help you keep calm or even put you to sleep. Practicing some pranayam can surely help here. Plan your week so that your traveling time becomes your rest day. Use the long corridors and long waits for a quick brisk walk in airports or stations. Take stairs rather than escalators. After all, you have to sit for hours for work so make the most of the time you have while you wait at the station. If using a car then park your car away from the destination and try to walk. After 15 days of being active, start with a small home-based workout, then gradually go back to adding weights which is strength training and it can be done with a combination of aerobic exercises. Yes in strength training, due to aerobic conditions which are without oxygen the body burns out more fat.

I hope this helps. Thank you.