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Faizan
Aerobics classes can help you stay fit and trim while improving your heart health. When it comes to choosing a class, your options range from high-impact boot camp classes to low-impact workouts like water aerobics. High-impact and low-impact classes offer different benefits to suit different body types, goals and physical fitness levels.
History
Exercise physiologist Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., introduced the modern concept of aerobics in 1968 with his book "Aerobics," which explained the importance of aerobic exercise for heart health, stamina and overall wellness. Jacki Sorensen combined Cooper's methods with dance to create the first aerobic dance methods in 1979. Aerobics gained broad popularity in the 1980s and 1990s with gyms and fitness studios offering variations such as step and water aerobics. In the 21st century, aerobics classes continued gaining popularity with variations such as Latin dance workouts and boot camps.
Class Styles
High-impact workouts, such as boot camp and kickboxing classes include jumping, kicking, running and deep lunging actions to burn calories and challenge muscular endurance. In a low-impact aerobics class, such as senior aerobics and most step classes, you perform all exercises with at least one foot on the ground at all times. Other popular low-impact aerobics classes include indoor cycling, which offers an endurance challenge with minimal impact on your joints, and water aerobics, which relies on the buoyancy of water to protect your knees and hips from impact.
Advantages and Benefits
All aerobic exercise aids in weight loss and fat burning, but high-impact aerobics may be more effective for weight management than low-impact workouts because of the amount of calories you can burn. A 130-pound woman burns approximately 413 calories per hour of high-impact aerobic activity compared with 295 calories per hour of low-impact aerobic exercise. Low-impact aerobics protects your joints from the stress of high-impact movements and reduces your chances of injury from falling or overuse. Both low-impact and high-impact aerobic stimulate your brain to release feel-good endorphins and seratonins. According to the Harvard Medical School, regular aerobic exercise helps relieve stress and combat depression.
Considerations
Maximize the benefits of your aerobics program by staying aware of your body and its limitations. Pushing yourself in a high-impact aerobics class that's above your level can lead to injury, strain and muscle fatigue. To reduce your risk of injury and exercise more effectively, practice aerobics under the guidance of a qualified instructor whose class you enjoy. Having fun in your aerobics class -- whether high-impact or low-impact -- improves your chances of sticking with your fitness program.
History
Exercise physiologist Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., introduced the modern concept of aerobics in 1968 with his book "Aerobics," which explained the importance of aerobic exercise for heart health, stamina and overall wellness. Jacki Sorensen combined Cooper's methods with dance to create the first aerobic dance methods in 1979. Aerobics gained broad popularity in the 1980s and 1990s with gyms and fitness studios offering variations such as step and water aerobics. In the 21st century, aerobics classes continued gaining popularity with variations such as Latin dance workouts and boot camps.
Class Styles
High-impact workouts, such as boot camp and kickboxing classes include jumping, kicking, running and deep lunging actions to burn calories and challenge muscular endurance. In a low-impact aerobics class, such as senior aerobics and most step classes, you perform all exercises with at least one foot on the ground at all times. Other popular low-impact aerobics classes include indoor cycling, which offers an endurance challenge with minimal impact on your joints, and water aerobics, which relies on the buoyancy of water to protect your knees and hips from impact.
Advantages and Benefits
All aerobic exercise aids in weight loss and fat burning, but high-impact aerobics may be more effective for weight management than low-impact workouts because of the amount of calories you can burn. A 130-pound woman burns approximately 413 calories per hour of high-impact aerobic activity compared with 295 calories per hour of low-impact aerobic exercise. Low-impact aerobics protects your joints from the stress of high-impact movements and reduces your chances of injury from falling or overuse. Both low-impact and high-impact aerobic stimulate your brain to release feel-good endorphins and seratonins. According to the Harvard Medical School, regular aerobic exercise helps relieve stress and combat depression.
Considerations
Maximize the benefits of your aerobics program by staying aware of your body and its limitations. Pushing yourself in a high-impact aerobics class that's above your level can lead to injury, strain and muscle fatigue. To reduce your risk of injury and exercise more effectively, practice aerobics under the guidance of a qualified instructor whose class you enjoy. Having fun in your aerobics class -- whether high-impact or low-impact -- improves your chances of sticking with your fitness program.
