Water Aerobics, The Perfect Exercise
Water aerobics, also knows as aqua aerobics is a safe and effective way to stay in shape. This form of fitness training is great for nearly everyone. Water Aerobics appeals to a wide range of people and regardless of your fitness there is a water exercise class or routine that fits your needs.
It is recommended to do water aerobics for many reasons. Water exercises can help you to lose weight, prevent weight gain, build lean muscle, lower blood sugar levels, and lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
The typical water aerobics class runs from 45 minutes to an hour in chest deep water. In each class, there is a warm up period where you stretch and loosen up your muscles. The bulk of the class is spent on performing various movements or dances that work the arms, legs and core. The class ends with a cool down period. In this time, you can really burn some calories. It is estimated that the typical session burns between 450-700 calories.
For those that are just starting an exercise program, water aerobics are a perfect start. Doing the exercises in the water strengthens every major muscle group as well as improving your cardiovascular health.
Even the athlete benefits from water exercises. In the water, your lungs and heart work harder then they do standing on the ground. The resistance of the water also complements the other training that a top athlete performs.
Aqua aerobics is great for those who are overweight. Exercises in the water are easier on the joints as the body is more buoyant. This puts less stress on the joints and greatly reduces the chance of injury. For the overweight person trying to get into shape, the cardiovascular aerobic activity is both great for burning fat, but also for strengthening the lungs and heart. The resistance of the water is effective for gaining lean muscle and burning fat too.
Water aerobics are also very popular for those who are rehabbing from surgery or an injury. In fact, many top athletes rehab in the water doing water jogging which gets the muscles in shape with out the stress of heavy contact on the ground. In the water, you can safely get the whole body in shape and also concentrate exercises on the injured part of the body to help speed up recovery.
Senior citizens and those with brittle bones also love aqua aerobics. The exercises in the water greatly reduce the likelihood of injury and also effective at reducing the damages of osteoporosis. Seniors also love that aqua aerobics classes are a group activity and this is a great way to spend some time with friends or to meet some new ones.
Regardless of your fitness level, age and needs there is some kind of water exercise that is right for you. Don’t you think that it is time that you found a water aerobics class at a pool near you?
The author of this article recommends visiting Jen’s Water Workout(http://jenswaterworkout.com) to learn more about Aqua Aerobics.
Easing Into High Intensity Training
High intensity training has become very popular recently. Many people who run for their aerobic exercise are finding out they can get better benefits in a shorter period. The workouts are shorter but they are definitely more intense.
First, let’s explain exactly what we mean by high intensity training. A regular running program might take forty-five minutes. There is a five minute warm up, followed by thirty-five minutes of running, followed by a five minute cool down.
Now if you want to switch to high intensity training, you would need to begin by easing into it. You do the five minute warm up as before. You then begin to run at your regular running pace for a couple minutes. Then you break into a sprint. Run as fast as you can for five or ten seconds. You’ll know quickly what you are capable of doing.
You then either walk at a brisk pace or slow down to a jog to recover. In the beginning, your recovery periods will be longer. Stay at this speed until you are breathing normal and then break into the sprint again. You might only be able to do two or three of these sprints to begin.
The goal is to work up to about eight wind sprints. When you reach that point, you can begin making adjustments. You might begin by adding five seconds to your sprints. Or you might continue to sprint the same amount of time but lower the recovery time.
If you eventually begin sprinting hard for fifteen seconds and recovering for forty five seconds, you will dramatically cut down your workout time.
For example, you begin with your five minute walk to warm up. Never skip this as it is very important to warm up the muscles and prepare them for the jolt they are about to receive.
You then begin to sprint for fifteen seconds and follow that with a forty five second recovery period. You do this eight times.
When completed, once again you walk for five minutes to cool down. Your workout lasted eighteen minutes instead of the forty five minutes you was previously doing.
The high intensity running actually burns more fat and uses more calories in a shorter period of time. You will notice a difference.
It works. Look at the body of a sprinter as compared to the body of a long distance runner. The sprinter is lean and muscular and looks healthy. The long distance runner is thin and looks, well, thin.
If you haven’t tried this form of training, give it a try the next time out. It would be a very good idea and is highly recommended that you get a physical from your doctor before you begin.
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development. http://www.my-personal-growth.com/
Fitness Trainer: Boredom Busters
One of the biggest obstacles to staying on track for fitness is losing motivation. People are just starting an exercise program can find themselves quickly tired of the same routine. Keeping exercise appealing and maintaining a good fitness perspective is key to long-term success.
If you have to watch the exact same episode of your favorite television show every day for the rest of your life, you would probably be banging your head against the wall by the end of the week. You would change the channel, pick up a book, or do anything you could to avoid something you once enjoyed.
Yet, many people starting on a fitness program feel compelled to follow the same routine, day after day after day, and consequently fall off the exercise wagon due to sheer boredom.
That is why, most people would want the services of a fitness trainer in order to provide them the different portions of the fitness program in a more livelier style.
Fitness trainers are actually those who are expert in analyzing and creating a fitness program that is right for you. They are the ones who will calculate your appropriateness to a certain program with regards to your fitness level, create the program according to your specific needs, and keep you stimulated and inspired by giving you activities that will not bore you.
But then again, as with other entities included in the fitness world, not all fitness trainers are created equal. They may vary from the different trainings that they have, the health education they have acquired, and the skills that they have learned.
Hence, it is important to consider some factors that will determine if a certain fitness trainer is right for you. Here is how:
1. Certification
Like any item or product, the quality is sometimes measured and determined through the certification that goes with it. Hence, before you choose your fitness trainer, it is important to verify if the trainer is duly certified by a highly regarded fitness association.
It is also best to choose a trainer that has a CPR certification or first aid qualifications.
2. Education/Trainings
Be sure to choose a fitness trainer who had acquired an adequate training and education as far as health and physical fitness is concerned.
Even though it is not necessary, trainers who have acquired education connected with health or any other related field will definitely have an edge over the others.
3. Knows how to give the right attention
A good fitness trainer should know how to provide his or her client an undivided attention whenever their session is going on. In this way, the trainer will be able to focus more on the details that needs attention and immediate considerations.
4. Knows how to track development
It is best to choose a fitness trainer that knows how to track his or her client’s progress as far as fitness is concerned.
In this way, the trainer will be able to generate new activities and trainings designated for a particular result of the client.
5. Good Personality
Since you will be dealing most with your fitness trainer, it is best if you will look for somebody with a pleasing personality, somebody whom you can be comfortable. It is best to hire the services of somebody whom you can easily get along with.
Boiled down, the services of a fitness center and the contributions it can give you while working out on those belly fats, are, indeed, one of the best help that you can get from a professional person who knows what he is doing.
Hence, it is best to choose the best person who can give you the best services that you need so that you will never get bored again.
Gaetane Ross is a Certified Natural Health Consultant who has spent 4 years focusing on Nutrition and Health. She also specializes in Alternative Medicine.
http://Live-O-Natural.com
http://therightdiet4u.live-o-natural.com
5 Benefits Of Adding Music To Your Aerobics Routine
Music is a wonderful way to energize the body through aerobic workout. An aerobics music workout is a great exercise program if you love music. There are a number of different types of aerobic exercises that work well with the addition of music. Any physical activity that is continuous motion will be termed as being aerobic. Adding music to your aerobic routine can increases the intensity level. But there are advantages to adding music .An aerobics routine consisting of aerobic music will involve a great deal of fast movements, jumping as well as leaping for extended periods. Some benefits of adding music to your workout include the focus, motivation and beneficial exercise.
Focus
Adding music to your aerobics workout adds the benefit of allowing you to focus on something other than the exercise regimen. You focus on the enjoyment of the music. This focus also pushes out the day’s activities and allows you to be in the moment.
Motivation
A person who is involved in an activity that is enjoyable and is beneficial will want to continue that activity. The reverse is also true. If an action is rewarded with a negative feeling or experience, that action or experience is not repeated. Therefore, if a person does not like to exercise, but combines the pleasure of music with exercise, they are more likely to continue.
Beneficial Exercise
The major benefit of adding aerobics music to your workout is the cardiovascular workout you receive. A good music workout will stimulate the heart, increase the blood flow and your breaths. Other benefits are the possibility of weight loss and weight maintenance.
It is important to remember that each of us is different. Those different factors include our age, general health and the condition of our body. Therefore, the heart beat that you wish to attain during your aerobic workout will vary.
Variety of Music
There is nothing as exciting as aerobic exercising to the tune of your favorite music. The variety to choose from includes top 40/dance to disco to Broadway hits. Some of these aerobics music albums feature perfect 32 count and offer variety to suit the musical tastes of everyone and all age groups. It should be noted that the speed of aerobic music should be between 118 to 122 Beats Per Minute.
Also, the genre of music selected can be a highly motivational factor. Generally aerobics workout music designed to give a full workout. It begins with a slower tempo to allow the body to warm up. The next stage is generally more upbeat and provides a quicker moves. The final phase is a cool down where the music returns to a slower paced tempo.
There is also another well known aerobics workout known as Jazzercise. The instructor teaches the exercise steps as well as choreographed routines that help the exerciser in his or her quest for better fitness accompanied by aerobic music.
Choreographed Videos
There are many different maneuvers in aerobics for any one person to complete them. There are notations, floor maneuvers, step maneuvers as well as a combination of floor or step maneuvers. You can find different videos and DVDs that are sure to satisfy your needs. The varieties include Step Showdown that lasts for 120 minutes. It is a type of step aerobics and dance combined, using choreographed music.
Another, Aerobic & Dance Showdown is another aerobics video that lasts 140 minutes presenting aerobic and dance choreography accompanied by hot music. It includes low impact aerobics mix. Dance Off video is packed with choreographed steps.
Non-traditional videos include Latin and Jazz infuse a passion in the moves. Aerobics exercisers enjoy them for increasing movements and learning new dance styles. Using choreographed aerobics music videos are useful for beginners with little or no experience as well as intermediate and advanced level users.
Sometimes, there is nothing to beat entering a gym where the fitness class is working out with aerobic music. It helps set the mood for the exercisers. It’s impossible to imagine a step or spinning class without the correct music to provide the right rhythm. Adding music to your aerobic workout is a fun experience, gives you motivation to continue and offers healthy benefits.
Cindy Heller is a professional writer. To learn more about water aerobic exercise, please visit http://www.wateraerobicexercise.net.