Choosing the Right Exercise
By Nadja Maril
Visiting Pittsburgh one weekend I literally stumbled upon hundreds
of people who had taken to the streets on a hot summer’s
evening (right before a baseball game) to Zumba to the beat of
drummers and instructors set up on a makeshift stage. I’d never
heard of Zumba before but it’s on my “in” exercise list for 2010.
Inspired by popular salsa, meringue, and tango steps, this newest
workout is a dance fitness regime that sets high-energy moves
and stretches to Latin music and rhythms. During a 45-minute
class, proponents of Zumba claim you not only burn calories
and tone muscles but also condition your entire cardiovascular
system. This past fall Anne Arundel County offered 14 Zumba
classes at county schools and recreation centers, while private
gyms and trainers have added Zumba to the array of classes and
techniques available to their clients.
Is Zumba the end-all exercise that everyone should be taking
up and practicing several times a week? There’s no such thing as
an end-all exercise routine. Zumba may be right for you if you
have a passion for Latin music and you love to dance. Maybe a
ballet routine set to Mozart is more your style, or a bicycle journey
along a wooded trail. Exercise is important to your health
whether you are young or old. But it has to be something you
enjoy doing or you won’t make the time to do it. So what is the
right exercise for you?
You need three things from exercise: building your strength,
increasing your flexibility, and strengthening your cardiovascular
system. If you are looking for an interactive sport that does all
three, look no further than mixed martial arts. Mixed martial arts
fuses together boxing, kickboxing, muay Thai, and Brazilian
jujitsu. While some participants may be in training for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, you don’t have to plan to
formally compete to enjoy this high-adrenaline sport. A number
of classes are available locally, some sponsored by the county
recreation department.
Experts agree that we need aerobic exercise—any exercise
that requires oxygen to be delivered to your muscles (via your
lungs and blood supply) over an extended period. Such activities
include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, jumping rope, bicycling,
rowing, soccer, squash, and tennis. Aerobic training is
often called cardio exercise because one of its benefits is that it
strengthens your cardiovascular (heart) system.
For an intense cardiovascular workout there are the increasingly
popular triathlons—competitions that combine running,
cycling, and swimming. All three sports can provide aerobic exercise.
But while running increasingly puts stress on your tendons
and bones as you age, cycling and swimming are non–weightbearing
exercises, so the three together provide a good balance.
Triathlons provide cross-training opportunities for athletes who
can use the variety of the three types of exercise to have fun
training for the competition. Many
triathlons are held throughout the year in
our region.
Of all the aerobic exercises, swimming
is a favorite among physical trainers and
sports doctors because it can use many different
muscle groups and it is non–weight
bearing. Although overuse injuries are possible,
it is relatively difficult to injure yourself
by following an intensive swimming
regime. If you are able to raise your heart
rate daily, it will assist your fat-burning
process and enable you to lose weight permanently
(if your goal is to lose weight).
For an exercise that promotes calmness,
reflection, and flexibility, yoga is a
popular choice. Several different styles of
yoga at different levels of difficulty are
offered. So if you do not like the first class
you try don’t give up on yoga without trying
another. Visit several classes until you
find one that suits you. Pilates is another
exercise where you work at your own pace.
In pilates, students challenge themselves
to continually develop muscular strength
while they improve posture, flexibility,
and stamina.
As we age we need to be concerned
about losing our bone density.
Osteoporosis affects both men and
women. To help maintain bone density it
is important to include some weight-bearing
exercise in your workout routine. It is
the stress on bone and the jarring repetition
of movement that builds bone-mineral
density. Lifting weights, walking with
weights, jogging, running, and most competitive
sports all help maintain strong
bones. The recreational sports leagues in
our area include volleyball, basketball,
softball, bowling, and even kickball and
dodgeball. If you can’t find a team you’d
like to join, think about starting your own.
For more information about sports
leagues and exercise classes go to
WhatsUpMag.com. We have a whole list
of resources you can use to get started.
What’s your favorite exercise? If you
have an exercise story you’d like to share with
other readers on our website, e-mail it to
editor@whatsupmag.com.
Tags:
workout
fitness
Zumba
exercise
More Articles