Step Aerobic Exercise Helps You Stay Fit
Step aerobic exercise is a great form of cardiovascular exercise that will help you increase your stamina, strengthen your muscles and burn calories and fat. To perform step aerobic exercises you use a step which is usually four to twelve inches in height. You then step up and off of a raised platform or step at certain intervals, alternating each leg. You can perform these exercises to music for extra motivation and to keep things interesting.
Step aerobics exercise first became popular in the 1980s. It provides a great cardiovascular workout that also works your legs. You can increase the aerobic intensity to suit your fitness goals and level of fitness. Another benefit is that step aerobic exercise equipment is inexpensive and doesn’t take up a lot of space. You can join a step aerobics class or do your step exercises at home.
Another benefit to step aerobic exercises is that there is very little stress placed on your lower joints. In terms of the amount of stress to the joints on your legs, step aerobics is about equivalent to walking. However, you receive some additional benefits that you don’t necessarily experience with walking. When you raise and lower your body you are using the large muscle in your lower legs. This helps to strengthen these muscles in addition to the ligaments and tendons connecting the muscles. So you receive benefits that you would normally get from more strenuous activity such as running or jogging, without putting all the stress on your ankles and knees.
When doing step aerobic exercises, you do need to be sure to take some necessary precautions. First all, be sure to warm up before doing your aerobics. Do some stretching for about ten minutes to warm up. Also be sure to perform your step aerobic exercises properly. When performing a step aerobic exercise, step onto the platform using the whole sole of your foot, maintaining good posture, and alternate legs. Also make sure that you use the proper height of step. For beginners you should start with four inches and when you get to a more advanced level you can go all the way up to 12 inches. Beginners should start out with workouts of about 15-20 minutes every other day. As your heart and muscles strengthen, you can increase up to 60 minutes on a daily basis. Once you finish your step aerobic exercises cool down by doing some stretching and take a short walk.
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