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The End of Aerobic Exercise?
By Cecelia Yap
Hello there, anyone for aerobic exercise?
The
aerobic exercise popularized by Jane Fonda in the late 1970's & early 1980's?
You know, the aerobic craze that took millions of Americans to group
exercise classes for the first time?
You wore tights, leotards & thongs
to the aerobic class.
You did non-stop jumping, kicking
& running, twirling your arms, doing high knee lifts & punching the sky to throbbing music.... & sweated.....
You did it all with a vengeance!
Remember?
The purpose was to rev up your heart beat & exercise your heart, to keep it in good shape.
And it was all about staying in shape as well.....
 Sorry to tell you that this
kind of aerobic exercise is now on the wane, rapidly fading off due to emergence of new
& innovative classes & techniques, i.e.:
1. Hybrid classes that work your
body & mind
2. Calorie-burning workout classes with little stress on joints
& muscles
3. Classes that alternate hard training with easy intervals
4. Relaxing Pilates / Yoga classes
For now, the popularity
of this kind of aerobic exercise is sharply down from when it was the mainstay of fitness
in America......
These statictics may tell you a thing or two about the sad, declining
trend:
1. Less than half of the 300 gyms & health clubs surveyed by IDEA offered
aerobic classes now. The survey concluded that the number of gyms offering aerobic classes would continue to decline
2. At its peak in the mid-80's,
an estimated 17 million to 20 million Americans did aerobic exercise. But in 2005, there
were only 5 million who did the exercise. The 2006's figure would show even a lesser number
Aerobic
exercise instructors reckoned that this kind of aerobics exercise got lots of damages,
especially when you engaged in high impact aerobic & did it for 6 or 7 times per week.
The hardest hit group was the instructors as they were pushing harder than anyone
else & doing the exercise a dozen times per week......
However, apparently many
who took this aerobic exercise were not spared the agony either......
They suffered from acute & overuse injuries due to high impact aerobic as
their bodies weren't meant to withstand all those persistent pounding on their joints..... And most of them had problems with
their backs, feet & hips.
However, you shouldn't blame it all on
aerobics exercise for your problems. You would have problems from anything with persistent
impact on your joints.
Take running or jogging or swimming.
If you do these exercises 6 or 7 times per week for more than 1 hour per session,
you'll bound to stress your joints & muscles.
And for that matter, for any other
exercises, if you're overdoing them, you'll bound to develop oversuse injuries & would
encounter problems - muscle cramps, muscle pain, aches & pains in joints & tendons, swellings......
The correct way of doing exercise, any exercise, is to adhere to the motto - do it in moderation & with varieties.
Moderation, meaning:
-Do
cardio exercises such as running, jogging, cycling or swimming 3-4 times per week, for 30 minutes per session
-Do
strength training 2 -3 times per week, for 20 minutes per session
-Do stretching 3 - 4 times per week, for 10 - 20
minutes per session
How about varieties?
Yes,
just mix & change a little to spice up your exercise routine. For example, you could:
-
Choose to do running on Monday, swimming on Wednesday, cycling on Friday........
-
Add appropriate weight increment & reduce the number of reps in strength training
-
Exercise outdoor instead of always exercise indoor
- Switch
to indoor treadmill running or walking when outside weather is terrible
- Liven up
your exercise session with lively music instead of just exercise in dumb silence......
Hey,
it's up to your "creative" imagination to come up with "sparkling" varieties.....
Would you say there's
an end to Jane Fonda-type aerobics exercise?
Not necessary.
It depends on how you do the exercise.
I would say if
you do it moderately, you'd benefit more from it rather than having problems.....
Once in
a while, I still go for this type of aerobic exercise.......
It's a great way to keep my heart pumping & in good shape...... & I sweat a good hearty sweat!
just an fyi... read my personal story on the volunteering page to help see the point of "divergent thinking" for determining your exercise routine to end boredom!
The Best Medicine Money
Can't Buy
By Carol Krucoff
Physical Activity Can Prevent and
Treat a Host of Ailments
Since ancient times, healers have recognized the
curative power of physical activity. Yet only recently has scientific evidence confirmed this widespread belief that movement
heals.
Today,
virtually every form of medicine recognizes these basic truths:
- Simple exercise can have profound healing effects.
- Specific "healing moves" can help prevent
and treat illness and optimize health.
These
concepts are embraced by traditional healers and modern scientists, Eastern practitioners and Western physicians,
alternative and conventional medicine advocates alike.
At a time
when patients and health care providers are searching for safe, effective and inexpensive therapies, physical activity is
an ideal self-care strategy to help prevent, relieve and sometimes even cure disease.
In "Healing Moves:
How to Cure, Relieve and Prevent Common Ailments with Exercise"
- a book written with my husband, Duke University cardiologist Mitchell Krucoff - we explore the latest scientific
findings about exercise's therapeutic power and present 9 "healing moves" programs to help treat a wide range of common medical
conditions including:
- diabetes
- depression
- asthma
- arthritis
- high cholesterol
- heart disease
- osteoporosis
- cancer
Our theme
is that, in many ways, movement is an ideal medicine. It's extremely effective, free (or
at least inexpensive), low risk, abundantly available, socially acceptable and simple to do. When compared
to traditional treatments, such as drugs and surgery, the risk/benefit profile frequently is far superior.
In our
remote-control culture, movement is a perfect prescription for prevention and treatment of America's epidemic
of inactivity-related diseases.
Over the
last few decades, study after study has shown that moving regularly enhances health, while inactivity impairs
it. Physical activity can help some diabetics come off insulin and some hypertensives quit their high blood pressure medication.
It
can lower cholesterol, ease arthritis pain, lift
depression, relieve anxiety and help asthmatics breathe easier. It can help slow the aging process and boost both the quantity
and quality of life.
Movement enhances the heart's ability to pump blood, the lung's
capacity to fill with oxygen, the metabolism's ability to burn fat and the immune system's defensive power.
In fact, virtually every bodily system
becomes stronger and more efficient with regular exercise. A growing body of research indicates that getting regular physical
activity may be the single most important thing you can do to prevent disease and promote good health.
source: foodfit.com
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Send me an e-mail!
visit this website - click here - to get some good information concerning exercise!
here are some other resources concerning changing your ideas, habits and views
about exercise!
Loaded with mind, body and soul benefits, yoga
does more than offer enlightenment and improved well-being. It can transform your sex life at its very core.
Children Increasingly Hitting Health Clubs to Get Fit
Last year, 1.3 million children ages 6 to 11 were members of a health club, according
to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. And as of April, a quarter of IHRSA member clubs surveyed
had children's programs.
Looking for more info concerning children?
children 101 is the networks's site primarily about children
from WebMd:
Study Shows Physical Activity Can Offset Genetic Predisposition for Obesity
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11 Great Ways To Get Motivated
You know you've got to get moving. You resolve to park the car
a few blocks from work, take the stairs and hit the gym after work. But a few weeks pass and before you know it parking spots
start opening up right in front of the building, the elevator is already in the lobby, and you've worked late every night
that week. It's not that you don't know how to get fit, you just can't seem to stay motivated. We all know people who are
religious with their workouts. So, what's their secret?
We asked fitness experts and regular Joes alike how they stick
with their routine. These methods keep them moving; maybe one will work for you.
Embarrass
Yourself: Make a mark on your calendar every time you make it to the gym or park.
Seeing your motivation,(or lack thereof) in black & white helps keep
you going.
Suzanne Schlosberg & Liz Neporent, authors of Fitness
for Dummies, Second Edition (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 2000) suggest:
"whether you write your goals on the side
of your shoe or in your training diary, glancing at them on a daily basis will help keep you focused & motivated. Some people tape their goals to their bathroom
mirror or refrigerators."
Do whatever works to make you remember what you promised
yourself.
Join a Plan that Wouldn't Have You for a Member: So you're not Steffi
Graf. That doesn't mean you can't join a tennis team. Richard Cotton, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council
on Exercise says "joining a club, team, or finding an exercise partner…provides a support system & someone to simply
share the experience with.
Often times just
knowing someone will be asking you 'How's it going?' can be the difference between exercise success & failure."
Love Thy Neighbor & Love Thyself
You can't leave a neighbor standing on the corner checking her watch. She knows where you live. Miriam
Nelson, Director of the Center for Physical Fitness at Tufts University and the author of Strong Women Stay Young and
Strong Women Stay Slim (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1999) says,
"When I make a date with a neighbor
to go for a run I keep it and we have a great time." She also plans a regular appointment with her neighbors. "Saturday mornings several
of my neighbors come over and we lift weights together; it's a great way to start the weekend," she says.
Challenge Yourself: Working towards an event - like a 5K walk or run, or an overnight bike trip to a faraway bed and breakfast - keeps you on track. Every time you exercise you'll be closer
to meeting your goal.
"The minute you mail in your entry fee,
you'll have a whole new sense of purpose. And the feeling of accomplishment you get from completing your event is like nothing
else," say Schlosberg and Neporent.
Dance, Dance, Dance: "Music is a fantastic motivator," says Michael Olajide, Jr., a former professional boxer and inventor
of Aerobox workout routines. "It can push you to do more and to exercise longer, even longer than you planned." Who doesn't
get a surge of energy every time they hear their favorite tune? Plus, it's the perfect excuse to get that new CD.
Don't Count the Miles: "Don't workout to burn calories or lose weight," says Emme, plus-size model, author and columnist. "There are more
important things than burning calories taking place during your workout. Newfound self esteem and stress reduction are just
two positive aspects of many that come to mind."
If you're always focusing on burning off
your morning doughnut, of course exercise seems like a chore. Try exercising for the sake of your health, not your body.
Find the Fun: Forget about the "no pain, no gain" attitude. "The mind, body & soul connection is very important here, don't forget
to have fun," says Emme. Pick an activity you've always loved, like biking or walking outdoors. The more enjoyable it is,
the more likely you'll stick with it.
Make It a Family Affair: "When I go for a run I entice one of my kids to go with me - he or she goes on their bike & I run. It's a great
way to be together with my kids," says Miriam Nelson. Who better to egg you on than the ones who love you best.
Learn to Love Lycra: "Buying snazzy new workout shorts or comfy new cross-trainers can really get you fired up to work out, " say Schlosberg
& Neporent. Once you realize how much better the right equipment makes a workout, you'll be loving your sports bra as
much as soccer star Brandi Chastain.
Dive for Dollars: Money is the ultimate motivator. Put a dollar in a jar every time you make it to the gym. At the end of a month, treat
yourself to a massage. You'll be at the gym more often than the trainers.
It's About Time: "My mood motivates me to work out, so timing is everything," says Kathy Kaehler, personal trainer & author. If
you aren't up for a workout don't feel guilty about postponing. On the other hand, exercise has been known to improve a bad
mood. Work out your aggressions in the gym instead of at home or work.
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