Best Aerobics Bet

There are many exercise choices when it comes to aerobics. When selecting an aerobic exercise, make sure it’s something you enjoy and are willing to stick with. Whatever you choose, it should be challenging enough to produce plenty of fitness benefits, like fat-burning and cardiovascular improvements. And, you must commit to gradually increasing the intensity of your aerobic effort.

Walking

Walking improves aerobic fitness, burns fat, helps prevent osteoporosis, and cuts the risk of developing coronary heart disease. In fact, research shows that walking 10 kilometers  a week throughout your life significantly reduces your chances of developing heart disease. What’s more, walking is safe, convenient, and easy to do.

To maximize the benefits, a walking program must be intense. There are a number ways to boost the intensity of walking.

·        Speed. If you walk fast pace averaging 5 kph, you burn about the same number of calories as jogging. But unless you’re conditioned race walker (an athlete trained in a special mode of fast walking), that speed can be uncomfortable. A more manageable pace is around 3.5 to 4 kph. A 4 kph pace is generally fast enough to elevate your heart rate and keep blood circulating vigorously through your body. 

·        Distance. Researchers have looked into the energy costs of walking versus running, and found that to burn the same number of calories as running, you need to walk farther.

According to one study, walking expends about 1.15 calories per kg of bodyweight per kilometer, while running burns 1.7 calories per  kg bodyweight a kilometer. For example, if you weigh 70kg, you’ll lose roughly 80 calories in walking a kilometer (70 x 1.15) and 120 calories in running the same distance (70 x 1.7).

• Frequency – another way to increase your intensity, that is the number of times you walk each week.

Guidelines For Walking

• In hot weather, wear comfortable clothing that fits loosely and allows for good air flow to your skin. In cold weather, dress in layers.
• Wear well-fitted running shoes to cushion the impact of walking.
• Warm up with slow walking for three to five minutes.
• Walk in safe well-lit area where there is a smooth surface. Tracks – indoor or outdoor – are ideal. So are indoor malls.
• Stand erect, with good posture as you walk.
• When walking, take normal strides but pump your arms in a swinging motion. This pumping action increase the aerobic benefits of walking.
• Your heel should strike the ground first, then roll onto the ball of your foot.
• About 10 minutes into your walk, check your pulse.
• Walk at a brisk pace, so that you are breathing hard but can still carry on a conversation.
• Try to increase your distance each week. A good rule of thumb, especially for novices, is to start the first week with 20-minute walks. Increase that time by 5 minutes a week until you reach 45 minutes or more.
• Gradually try to pick up your pace so that you are covering the same distances in less time. For example, shoot for walking 3 kilometers in 45 minutes (that’s about 4 kph), or increase your distance to 4 kilometers, covered in 70 minutes or less (3.5 kph).    
• Keep records of your progress. An easy way to keep track of your performance, is by timing your morning walk using an athletic watch. After the walk, record that time on a whiteboard. Also write down  your best time. Your goal is to beat that time.
• Take your pulse again at the end of your walk. Your goal is to exercise within your target zone and gradually build your intensity to the higher ranges of that zone. Re-check your pulse after cooling down with slow walking for 5 to 10 minutes.
• If you get winded, feel tired, or your pulse rate races, slow down.

Jogging and Running

Both are excellent ways to burn fat and achieve cardiovascular fitness, if done consistently. One way to ease into running is with a walk-jog program, a type of workout known as “interval training,” in which you intersperse short segments of jogging or running into your walking program. Interval training has some real benefits when it comes to fat-burning and overall fitness.

After a while, you may be ready too graduate to a full-fledged jogging or running program. The difference between the two has to do with speed. Running is typically any movement over 6 kph. Intensity in jogging or running can be increased by picking up your pace, going a greater distance, and increasing the frequency of your runs.

Guidelines For Jogging and Running

·        Wear comfortable but slightly loose-fitting clothing. Your clothing should not restrict your movement.

·        Wear running shoes that are flexible, well-cushioned, and supportive.

·        For safety’s sake, never run at night, and always carry some identification. Tell people where you’re going.

·        Run on smooth surfaces that minimize impact to the body. Indoor tracks with specially cushioned surfaces, cushioned outdoor tracks, and grassy surfaces are your best bets.

·        Run in an erect (but not stiff) position with your head up.

·        Hold your arms at your sides with elbows bent. Let you elbows swing freely; this helps push your body forward. Stay relaxed, without tensing your limbs.

·        Keep your steps fairly short.

·        Hit the ground with your heel first, rocking you foot forward and then pushing off the ball of your foot.

·        As you jog or run, simply breathe normally.

·        Increase your intensity by picking up your pace or increasing your distance. A word caution: Running more than thirty kilometers a week has been associated with increased risk of injury.

·        Check your heart rate during and after your workout.

·        If you get winded, feel tired, or your pulse rate races, slow down.

Treadmills

In addition to giving you a great aerobic workout, treadmills work the thighs, calves, and buttocks. Set the challenge by adjusting the speed of the moving belt, the elevation of its grade, or both. Digital displays tell you how many calories you have burned and distance walked.

Researchers could find no differences in aerobic requirements between jogging and running and treadmill running. In other words: You can get just as much out of treadmill running as you can on the open road or track.

Guidelines for using a Treadmill

• Before starting, step on the sides of the machine, not the belt. Once it begins moving, step on the belt carefully.
• For wsafety and balance, always hold the handrail.
• Walk, jog, or run at a pace that keeps up with the speed of the belt.
• The more conditioned you become, the faster you can go higher-intensity programs or graded inclines. A word of caution: Walking or jogging on any type of inclined surface has been associated with increased incidence of shin splints, which are microscopic fractures of the shin bone.
• To dismount, step on the sides of the machine again and then stop the machine by pushing the appropriate button.

Stairclimbing Machines

This machine involve less impact than running and are greatly respected for a challenging workout.

On most machines, you place your feet on moveable steps, then start stepping up and down. Some models resemble an escalator. You can vary your effort by selecting various intensity levels programmed into the machine.

Guidelines for using a Stairclimber

• Be sure to use the warm-up and cool-down features on the machine.
• Use the handrails for balance only. Letting the weight of your upper body rest on handrails subtracts a lot of fat-burning power from your workout. Slow your pace if you find yourself depending too much on the rails.
• Place as much of your feet as possible on the steps.
• Become familiar with the intensity options offered by these machines. Then set up and pursue a program to gradually increase your intensity.

Bicycling

Bicycling makes your heart stronger and more efficient, burns fat, and strengthens your thighs, calves, and buttocks. Plus, it’s gentler on your joints. When you bike around 20 kilometers an hour or more on a straight course, you start burning the same amount of calories as you would running. A drawback of bicycling is the skill level required. You need good balance; finesse in negotiating things in the road, like traffic, holes, and obstruction; and an ability to work the bicycle’s gears and brakes properly to accommodate terrain and weather conditions. Even so, bicycling is a top-notch conditioner that can be a lot of fun.

Guidelines for Biking

·        Never take your eyes off the road. Learn to shift gears without looking at them, for example.

·        Learn to use all the components of the bike properly.

·        Learn to negotiate in traffic – or restrict your biking to less traveled roads.

·        Take your heart rate during and after your ride.

·        Don’t wear headphones.

·        Always wear a bicyle helmet.

Stationary Cycling

If you’re not enamored with outdoor biking, stationary cycling may be your style.  These let you select from a variety of programs, each geared to a different level of intensity. Stationary cycling is also an excellent thigh-toner.

Guidelines for Stationary Cycling

• Adjust the seat height so that your knees are only slightly bent at the lowest point of the revolution.
• Start with just 15 minutes several times a week. Gradually build up to 45 minutes or more.
• Experiment with the various program levels on some bikes in order to adjust your intensity level upward.
• Try to increase the frequency with which you perform  your stationary cycling workout.
• To adequately elevate your heart rate, pedal faster than 60 revolutions a minute or adjust the bike for greater resistance.

Aerobic Dance

Aerobic dance is a great fat-burner, it gives an excellent cardiovascular workout, and it works lower body muscles.

The safest form of aerobic dance is the low-impact variety, in which at least one foot remains on the floor during the aerobic part of the session. Unlike regular aerobic dance, there are no jumps; instead, the exercise uses large upper body movements and relies on kicks, high steps, lunges, and other wide range-of-motion moves. These actions reduce stress on joints, making low-impact aerobics a safer alternative for most people than regular aerobic dance. In many low-impact aerobics classes, hand or ankle weights are added to the exercises to make them more demanding. Stepping up and down on small benches as part of the dance routine is popular, too – and intense.

Be sure to regularly monitor your heart rate while in class to make sure that you are exercising at an appropriate level of intensity. If not, you may want to “graduate” to a higher-intensity class.

Before joining an aerobics class, make sure that the instructors have been certified by a reputable organization and are trained in CPR.

A convenient alternative to attending aerobic dance classes is using exercise videos. They are handy if you don’t have a lot time to spend going from home to class and back again.

There are drawbacks, however. These include lack of instructor feedback on form and technique, potential injury from working out alone, and lack of the camaraderie you get from an exercise class.

The Cool-Down

For about five minutes following any aerobic exercise, slow your pace by restful walking, light jogging, slow biking, or other mild aerobic activity.

The purpose of the cool-down is to gradually return your heart rate to normal. The best way to do this is by light activity. When you are still in motion, blood lactic acid levels tend to decrease more rapidly, too, accelerating recovery.