Exercise is very important for new moms and dads too. It helps parents stay healthy and have the energy needed to perform their parental responsibilities. Many people skip exercise because they look at it as a chore or something that can only be done at the gym.
I beg to differ, exercise can be fun and can be done at home while watching the baby. A good example of an exercise routine that can be fun, rhythmic and done at home is step aerobics.
What is aerobic exercise?
Aerobic exercise is the type of exercise that stimulates your body to use oxygen to adequately reach the body’s energy demand during exercise. In order to meet oxygen need, the heart rate and breathing rate increases, pumping oxygen rich blood from the lungs to the muscles for aerobic metabolism.
There are many types of aerobic exercises people participate in, including but not limited to running, swimming, dancing, walking and step aerobics. Today, I will be talking about the basics of step aerobics and how it can help you stay healthy and skip that gym membership.
What is step aerobics?
Step aerobics is a type of aerobic exercise that uses music to control the rhythm of movement. In this type of exercise, an elevated platform is used and can be tailored to individual needs. A variety of movements are created by the movement of both the arms and legs. The aim is usually to keep these moves symmetrical by using both the left and right limbs equally.
People who participate in step aerobics use music to help them to adjust the rhythm of their movements. The intensity of the exercise can be adjusted to participants fitness level simply by using music of varying beats.
Health benefits of step aerobics
Like any aerobic exercise, step aerobics benefits the cardio-respiratory system a lot. It improves fitness and is known to have benefits for both emotional and physical health. During aerobic exercise your body releases endorphins (natural pain killers) that increases the sense of well being.
During aerobic exercise, increase in heart rate lead to an increase in the amount of blood that is pumped to the muscles and back to the lungs. Increase in breathing rate increases the oxygen content of the red cells thus increasing the amount of oxygen that reaches the muscles. Capillaries in these muscles dilate to increase the amount of waste carried away from these muscles.
Health benefits of step aerobics for people who participate regularly include;
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- A possible stimulation of the immune system that can make them resistant to cold viruses and other minor viruses.
- A stronger heart that is capable of pumping more blood per beat and more efficiently, thus improving blood flow to the cells of the body.
- A reduction in the deposition of fat and formation of plague on blood vessels by increasing “good” cholesterol (HDLC) and decreasing “bad” cholesterol (LDL).
- An increase in the efficiency of muscles at taking oxygen out of the blood bacause of increased activity and an increase in the number of enzymes that carry oxygen out of the blood into the cells.
- An increase in the amount of fat burned, because fat is the fuel that the mitochondria uses along side carbohydrate and oxygen to produce energy.
- An increase in cognitive ability and life span.
- A more fulfilling life as you get older because your muscles remain fit. This means you can stay active and independent.
Caution
Take baby steps and then increase the complexity of your routine as you gain more experience. It is easy to twist an ankle if your body mechanics is messed up.
Make sure your stepper is on a flat none slip surface to avoid falls. Get a stepper that can adsorb a lot of the force generated during the exercise; this will protect your ankles from the shock of contact. Don’t over exert yourself; too much too soon can be more harm than good.
There are several DVDs and books on Amazon with tutorials on step aerobics and most of them cost less than 16 USD. With a stepper, you can exercise almost any where. You can get a good stepper on amazon for about 50 USD or less.
You can check out steppers, books and DVDs by clicking here.
Please leave a comment. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share.
Reference
http://www.medicinenet.com/aerobic_exercise/page2.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/aerobic-exercise/art-20045541?pg=2
Human movement, March 2013, vol. 14 Issue 1, p70 6p. EbscoHost.