“Younger exercisers should take the plunge for low-impact cardio - Bend Bulletin” plus 1 more

Younger exercisers should take the plunge for low-impact cardio - Bend Bulletin

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 03:58 AM PDT

By Vicky Hallett / The Washington Post

Published: September 09. 2010 4:00AM PST

WASHINGTON — Sean Stephens hasn't told his friends he does water aerobics. "I guess until now," the 36-year-old joked last week as we wiggled into the pool at LivingWell, the health club at the Washington Hilton.

Only a few weeks ago, the runner and triathlete had never considered doing anything other than laps in the water. But a nagging knee injury persuaded him to take the plunge, and after 45 minutes of tuck jumps, sprints and breaststroke arms, he was ready to make it part of his weekly routine. "I actually got my heart rate up," he says.

That probably comes as no surprise to the senior women out there who tend to be water aerobics stalwarts. But they're not the only ones who should be reaping the benefits of buoyancy and water resistance (12 times as great as that of air!), which provide a good setting for low-impact cardio and strength training.

"Water is magic," says Laura Ribbins, who's one of the world's leading authorities on aquatic exercise — perhaps because she's based in the Cayman Islands, where water workouts are possible year-round. I ran into her at the DCAC fitness convention in Alexandria, Va., a month ago, where she was presenting sessions on how to lure baby boomers to water classes with super-athletic moves. As great as water is for older bodies, she recommends it for "anyone who's into fitness."

Tara Davis, the 30-year-old instructor at LivingWell in Washington, D.C., who persuaded Sean Stephens to try water aerobics, has a similar style during her anything-but-wimpy interval training classes. To make it more of a challenge for her fitter students, she relies on an array of aqua accessories, such as webbed gloves that increase resistance and foam dumbbells.

"For a healthy young person, it's a good complement to a (high-impact exercise) routine," Davis says. "I do a lot of high-impact activities: running, kickboxing. I worry what my body is going to feel like when I'm 60."

In other words, doing water aerobics as cross-training now will prevent her from being limited to only water aerobics later.

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Fitness: The benefits of aerobic exercise - Troy Record

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 06:11 PM PDT

By Lisa Woods
Latham Life

Last week's column talked about the common myths of weight loss, nutrition and exercise. One of the myths mentioned was the fact that cardiovascular/aerobic exercise is not needed in order to lose weight. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE) "it is an essential part of EVERY exercise program and should be done for a minimum of 30 minutes on most days of the week". But what exactly is aerobic exercise and what are the benefits of it?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." It can also be defined as "any exercise that increases the need for oxygen and increases your heart rate". Some examples of aerobic exercise include:

— Jogging

— Running

— Walking

— Cycling

— Swimming

— Stair climbing

What Are the Benefits of Aerobic Exercise?

Any type of aerobic exercise will strengthen your heart and lungs. As you are exercising, your muscles will begin to demand more oxygen; as a result, your heart will start to beat faster and eventually will grow stronger so it can meet the muscles' demands without as much effort. Regardless of your age, weight or gender, everyone can benefit from aerobic exercise.

Regular aerobic exercise, when performed on most days of the week can:

— Reduce body fat and improve weight control

— Lower one's resting heart rate

— Improve heart and lung function

— Increase HDL (good) cholesterol

— Decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety

— Increase blood supply to the muscles

How Much Aerobic Exercise Should You Do?

When thinking in terms of aerobic exercise, you want to use the FITT principles as your guideline (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type).

Frequency: The number of exercise sessions per week

If you are just getting started with an exercise routine, a minimum of 3 days per week is recommended, preferably every other day so you don't burn out or injure yourself. As your stamina and endurance increases, you can gradually work up to 5 or 6 days per week.

Intensity: How hard you should exercise per session

Any kind of aerobic exercise should be done at a "moderate" intensity level. You want to make sure that your workout isn't too easy, but not too hard. Working out at a moderate intensity is ideal for overall general health benefits, in addition to weight loss. To measure exercise intensity, you will want to monitor your heart rate. The recommended heart rate range/target heart rate zone (THR) is 60-85% of your maximum heart rate. In order to calculate your heart rate, take 220-age and multiply that number by .60 and .85. For example, the target heart rate zone for a 32 year old is as follows:

220-(age) 32 = 188 (maximum heart rate)

188(maximum heart rate) x .60 = 113 (low end target zone)

188 (maximum heart rate) x .85 = 160 (high end target zone)

The target heart rate zone for someone who is 32 years old would be approximately between 113 bpm (beats per minute) to 160 bpm. Other methods for measuring workout intensity include the "talk test" and the "rating of perceived exertion scale." For more information on these and other methods of measuring workout intensity, visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website:

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/measuring/exertion.html

Time: The duration of each exercise session

If you are just getting started, 20-30 minutes would be the recommended amount per workout session. Gradually, when you are able to, you can work up to 60 minutes. The more minutes you workout, the more calories you will burn, which will result in weight loss (also with proper nutrition habits). At first, you might not have a lot of endurance, but that is okay; it will increase over time as long as you stick to a regular exercise program.

Type: The kind of exercise that should be done

Any type of aerobic/cardio exercise can be done as long as it meets the other 3 requirements (as mentioned above). Remember the definition of aerobic exercise is "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." You can do aerobic exercise anywhere; it doesn't necessarily have to be in a gym. You can get aerobic exercise without even knowing it. For example, take the elevator instead of the stairs, ride your bike to work instead of driving your car, running with your dog – it's all considered aerobic exercise.

The bottom line is to keep yourself moving!

Lisa Woods is a Certified Personal Trainer at Planet Fitness in Loudonville.

For more information, visit www.skyesthelimitfitness

training.com.

She can also be reached via email lisawoods@skyesthelimitfitnesstraining.com or phone at 518 542 8875.

Health Aerobics Cardio

Thursday, September 9, 2010