What's the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise?

Aerobic exercise is exercise that requires oxygen to full the work due to the length of activity. Generally speaking any activities greater than 60 seconds in duration require oxygen to continue to burn carbohydrates or fat as fuel source. Anaerobic exercise would be any activities that do not require oxygen to continue to use fuel sources because they are short in duration generally less than 60 seconds. Examples of aerobic exercise would be jogging, running a marathon, or hiking. Examples of anaerobic exercise would include weight lifting, throwing a baseball, or a 100 meter sprint.

Aerobic exercise includes rhythmic activities that use a lot of oxygen and large muscles over a period of time, such as jogging, swimming and riding a bike. Anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, does not use oxygen to generate energy. The exercises include intense, short bursts of activity that make the muscles work hard, such as sprinting and lifting weights.