Get In Step with Step Aerobics

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

22 Sep 2006 09:30 AM

Sure, we've all heard about step aerobics and we've seen the ads. Step aerobics were all the rage in the late 80s and early 90s. It's a consistent form of exercise that takes place in gyms and home living rooms all over the country. You need a good workout tape or instructor and a step. The step itself is relatively inexpensive and if you are taking a class at a gym, they often provide you with a step for you to use.

So what are step aerobics good for?

Besides the obvious, what are step aerobics good for? The obvious being a form of cardiovascular exercise that offers fat burning and toning. It's also great for building endurance and a strong heart. But there is also research that indicates step aerobics is a great way to up your good cholesterol levels.

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness published a study that found step aerobics significantly raised the HDL-cholesterol levels of the participants in the study. The study was performed for eight-weeks and followed 45 sedentary female Turkish college students. Of the women participating, 15 did step aerobics, 15 did regular aerobics and the last 15 remained sedentary. The investigators at Baskent University in Ankara discovered that the two groups of active women showed significant reductions in their overall cholesterol levels.

Vigorous Exercise Has Health Benefits

The frequency of regular exercise is a dependable way of bringing up your HDL cholesterol levels. In fact, many studies suggest that the more vigorous the exercise, the greater the overall health benefits. This is part of the plus of step aerobics, by their very nature they are vigorous forms of exercise done to upbeat music that involves lifting your body repeatedly against gravity and utilizing the muscles in your hamstrings, glutes and quads.

Step aerobics are great for women and men who enjoy group exercise with lots of music. They are also easy enough to perform at home for the woman who enjoys the challenge of dancing and stepping. Step aerobics are great for burning calories and helping you with your weight loss goals, reducing stress, strengthening your endurance and cardiovascular systems while at the same time recharging your body and your mind.

Do you enjoy step aerobics?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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mommytotwo (526) 22 Sep 2006 12:36 PM

Great article! I love step aerobics, another of my favorite ways to burn off the extra calories I consume! My Firm workouts utilize a step and I just love it! -Kaye

Heather Long (16954) 23 Sep 2006 12:08 PM

I like Step Aerobics, I was never a huge fan of it originally, but at the time I was also a stairmaster fanatic -- I like step aerobics a lot more now! Great info on the Firm workouts :D