Archive for the ‘aerobics’ Category

Do you believe that you have a condition that keeps you from exercising?  Well, think again!  A water aerobics workout may be the perfect solution for you!

People who are overweight or have joint problems often find exercise to be unpleasant and even painful.  But when you are in a pool, the water supports most of your weight, taking the burden off of your bones and joints.

In the last month or two of pregnancy, when your beautiful belly has become cumbersome, let the water support it so you can stretch and flex your arms and legs more easily!

What are some of the benefits of a water aerobics workout?

• Cardio Working your arms and legs continuously against the resistance of the water gets your heart and breathing rates up.
• Resistance Water provides 12 times the resistance of air so all of your movements require your muscles to work harder than they do out of the water.  Although this resistance is obviously not as beneficial as lifting weights, it is a good start for someone just beginning an exercise program or recovering after surgery or an illness.
• Buoyancy People with balance problems find that movements that require them to stand with one foot off the floor are much easier to do with the water stabilizing them.
• Low Impact A water aerobics workout is probably the most low impact workout you can do.  If you are looking for exercise that is easy on the joints, this is the one to pick.
• No Sweating! I know it sounds crazy but I know some people who refuse to exercise because they don’t like being sweaty!  Well, no more excuses – you stay cool and refreshed with water aerobics!

What kind of activities should you do?

Basically, a water aerobics workout is any activity you do in water that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for at least 20 minutes.  Try making big circles in the water with your arms or swishing them back and forth.  Use your legs to do bicycling or scissors motions.  If you need help staying afloat, use a boogie board or one of those noodles – my kids call those slerms!  Swimming or even just treading water are aerobic activities.

You might want to join a water aerobics class to get some coaching.   Plus, people who workout with others tend to enjoy their workouts more and are more motivated to stick with it.

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2 Tips For Using Cardio As A Weight Loss Tool

In addition to its heart and lung benefits, cardio (or aerobics) can be an important part of your weight loss program.   Keep these two tips in mind for getting the most out of your cardio exercises.

1. Vary your routine. There are a variety of aerobic activities to choose from (see High or Low Impact).  Choose to do different exercises on different days.  Or try interval or circuit training in which the activities are switched within a single routine.

If you always do the same activity day after day, your body becomes accustomed to that exercise and it’s no longer a challenge for you.  When that happens your body works more efficiently and doesn’t have to burn fat as quickly; you stop losing weight.

You also want to do whatever it takes to stay motivated.  If you get bored and stop working out, you’ll never meet your weight loss goals!

2. Exercise 1^st thing in the morning. When your alarm goes off, get up, go potty, drink a glass of water, and get moving!  During your nightly fast, your body has used up all the fuel you ingested last night so exercising before you eat anything forces it to burn stored fat!

Aerobic exercises are activities which raise your heart rate to about 60% to 80%  of it’s maximum rate and sustain that rate for a minimum of 15 minutes.  The more fit you are, the longer you can work out aerobically.

There are two types of aerobic exercise: low impact and high impact.  Let’s talk about some of the activities that fall into each category.

Low Impact Aerobics

1. Walking Walking is an easy aerobic activity because it requires no special equipment other than some comfortable, supportive shoes.  It can be done on a treadmill if you prefer to exercise indoors.  As you are able to walk for longer distances at a quicker pace, the weight loss benefits increase.

2. Step Aerobics This is a rhythmic activity that incorporates the use of a step.  For a complete description, please read my aerobic step bench post.

3. Bicycling Cycling uses the large muscles of your legs to increase your endurance in a non weight bearing manner.  If you are worried about your balance or simply prefer exercising inside you can use a stationary bike.

4. Swimming and Water Aerobics These activities can really speed up your heart rate!  You burn more calories swimming than you do walking or running the same distance because of the resistance of the water.  For the same reason, aerobic routines done in water also burn more calories than those done on dry land.

High Impact Aerobics

1. Aerobic Dance This is the aerobic exercise of choice for many women because it is so much fun!  You can find a class to join or workout with a CD or DVD of your choice.  To make aerobic dance into a low impact activity, make sure you always have one foot on the ground at all times.

2. Running Because you are obviously putting forth more effort, running burns more calories than the same amount of time spent walking.  It is extremely important to wear good fitting shoes made specifically for running to protect your body from the repeated pounding.

3. Rope Jumping This is another high impact activity that can have excellent cardiac benefits as long as it is maintained at a moderate pace for at least 15 minutes.

It is recommended that some type of sustained aerobic activity be done three times a week for 20 – 30 minutes.  In order to stay motivated and not become bored you should vary the activities.  Remember, when engaged in aerobics, if you’re breathing too hard to be able to carry on a conversation, you need to slow it down!

Are you getting bored with your aerobic/cardio workout?  Does it seem less challenging than when you first started?  You might be ready to add an aerobic step bench to your routine.

An aerobic step bench is simply a portable step which measures about 3 feet by 1 foot.  It’s best to start with about a 6 inch height, then increase the height as needed.  You’ll want to choose a stable, well-balanced bench with a textured, non-slippery surface.

In addition to really ramping up the cardio benefits of your workout, adding a step strengthens and tones your thighs and butt.  Using these large muscles requires more energy so you burn more calories.

For my routine I like to create a circuit where I alternate step moves with other aerobic activities.  This is much more fun and less boring when I put on some lively music!  If you have trouble coming up with a variety of routines involving aerobic steps, there are plenty of DVD’s to get you going.

Do you have a Nintendo Wii?  There are several step aerobic activities available to go with it.  Using a variety of approaches will motivate you to keep doing your workouts regularly.

An aerobic step bench should not be used by beginners.  When just starting out, you should let your body become accustomed to less stressful activities, then kick up the intensity level gradually by adding a step.  Increasing the height of your step will increase your workout intensity but be less stressful on your body than jumping rope.

People who have knee or balance problems, and those who are obese, should use extreme caution when attempting to use an aerobic step.  If you feel  discomfort in any part of your body, or if you feel at all unstable, this is your body’s way of saying, “Don’t do that!”

Related link:  Nintendo Wii