Aerobic, or cardiovascular, exercise simply means any form of exercise that keeps the heart rate high over a sustained period of time. Aerobic literally means "with oxygen." By increasing the heart rate and strengthening the heart and lungs, the body is able to use oxygen more efficiently. The system known as "aerobic exercise" was first developed in 1968 by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper in San Antonio, Texas. It originally consisted of exercises such as cycling, running, and swimming, but from those simple beginnings arose the aerobics exercise phenomenon we know today.
Always work within safe limits when exercising. The simplest way of checking is to use the "Talk Test." Quite simply, if you can talk comfortably while you are exercising, your heart rate is functioning within a safe range. If you are feeling breathless or uncomfortable, you should stop. Correct posture and alignment are important not only when exercising, but in your daily life as well. Walking, standing, carrying heavy objects, or holding briefcases all take their toll on the spine. With just a little effort, you can have perfect posture and a healthy spine throughout your life. Practice standing correctly every day, and you will see the benefits in no time. A good time to practice is in the morning while you are brushing your teeth in front of the mirror. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and parallel to each other. Make sure your weight is evenly distributed between your feet. Rock slightly forward and back on your toes and ankles.
You want to settle your weight slightly in front of your ankles. Your knees should be soft and never locked. Your hip bones should be even - check that they are not tilted to one side or the other - and your tailbone should be lengthening toward the ground. Lift your abdominal muscles and lengthen your head up toward the ceiling. Think of your shoulders as open and relaxed. Envision a vertical line straight from the top of your ear and through the middle of your shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle.
Get used to this feeling, and, as you carry on with your everyday life, try to think about how you are standing from time to time. Keep that awareness when sitting, too, making sure that your head and abs are lifting, and that your shoulders are open. When you practice dance, you will notice an improvement in poise, grace, alignment, and coordination, as well as a better understanding of rhythm, an improvement in your memory, increased self-esteem, and a greater appreciation of music. There are many other benefits, too.
In addition to giving you a great workout and improving your balance, dance will give you elongated, well-defined, well-toned muscles and a strong, sculpted body. It stretches and strengthens the muscles, but works the body very differently than lifting heavy weights in the gym, which builds bulk and shortens the muscles. Dance is also great for increasing the flexibility of the spine, hips, and other joints. And if that weren't enough, it also gives you the greater self-awareness you need to improve your posture and alignment. Most postural problems occur through lack of awareness and laziness. By introducing dance into your life, you will become more aware of the position of your head, neck, and shoulders in relation to the rest of your body, and that is the first step on the road to correction.
Unfortunately, because of the way a dance class is usually structured, dance is not usually considered to be an aerobic activity. Normally, a ballet teacher, for example, will stop the class each time he or she wants to show a sequence at the barre or when teaching floor work. True aerobic activity must be continuous, so this type of dance class will not offer you an aerobic workout.
After the aerobic portion of the workout, you will then lie down on a mat to do some toning and stretching. Toning strengthens individual muscles or groups of muscles without building bulk. Examples of some toning exercises are abdominal exercises or light push-ups. By doing a few abdominal exercises every day, you can increase the strength of these core muscles. The result will be strong abdominal muscles that help support the spine and ease lower-back pain. While strengthening helps to tone the muscles, stretching keeps the muscles and joints supple. In these workouts, you may, for example, end up doing a hamstring stretch or a hip stretch.
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1. Why is warming up before a dance workout so important
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