Aerobic: essentially, this means working with the presence of oxygen - so it includes all cardiovascular exercises. It will improve your fitness.

Anaerobic: exercising muscles without the presence of oxygen is anaerobic and is generally used to build power and strength. It is often not possible to work anaerobically for long periods.

Body Mass Index (BMI): a scale that compares your height and weight. Many fitness professionals believe it is outdated and sometimes inaccurate, but it can be a useful guide.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): the number of calories burnt doing nothing. The more muscle the higher the BMR.

Cardiovascular: a fat burning and essential form of exercise that will improve your heart (cardio) and lungs (vascular) while also improving your body shape, fitness and endurance.

Electrolytes: minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium that are lost through sweat when working out.

Perceived exertion: a rough guide to determine how hard you are working out, based on a scale of 0-10 which rates how difficult you find an activity.

Pronation: the natural inward roll of the foot, from heel to toe, during running. An excessive inward rolling is called overpronation. The correct running shoes are essential in dealing with this. See also Supination.

Resting Heart Rate (RHR): essentially, the lower your resting heart rate is, the fitter you are. Your heart rate should be discussed with a doctor before attempting to change it.

Supination: also called underpronation, this is when the foot does not roll inwards enough when running.

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