Choosing the "Right" Aerobics
When deciding on the right aerobic activities for your personal fitness plan, think about the following considerations:
Your physical condition may affect your choice of aerobics. If you have been very inactive in the past, or suffer from bone or joint problems, your physician may suggest a "soft" activity like walking rather than "high-impact" aerobics.
Your personal interests can also help determine your activities. If you like the outdoors brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or cross-country skiing may be appealing. If you enjoy socializing while you exercise, consider activities like racquetball or handball where you'll need a partner.
Your environment plays an important part in your activity plan. If you live in a warm climate, swimming may be your exercise of choice. If you live in an inner city or area with temperature extremes, you may prefer indoor activities like stationary cycling or rowing, or an aerobic dance class.
Variety is the spice of life, so when considering your choices, don't limit yourself to just one activity. Try alternating several different kinds of activities to keep your interest level high. Once you have considered all the variables, you are ready to begin your personal aerobics plan. Then, consider it done!
Calories Used in 20 Minutes of Different Activities:
| Activity |
Calories Used |
| Baseball | 81 |
| Basketball (moderate) | 124 |
| Bicycling-12 mph | 188 |
| Calisthenics | 75 |
| Canoeing | 124 |
| Cross-country skiing | 205 |
| Dancing | 74 |
| Dancing-aerobic | 105 |
| Downhill skiing | 169 |
| Driving | 45 |
| Field hockey | 217 |
| Football | 145 |
| Golf | 85 |
| Hiking | 140 |
| Horseback riding (trot) | 119 |
| Housework | 63 |
| Ice Hockey | 54 |
| Ice Skating | 100 |
| Jogging-6 mph | 160 |
| Judo | 198 |
| Office work | 45 |
| Racquetball | 171 |
| Roller Skating | 100 |
| Rowing machine-400 stroke | 206 |
| Running-7 mph | 245 |
| Sailing | 51 |
| Skipping rope | 245 |
| Sleeping | 18 |
| Snow shoveling | 136 |
| Soccer | 157 |
| Softball | 65 |
| Standing (no activity) | 23 |
| Swimming-800 yards | 152 |
| Table Tennis (ping pong) | 58 |
| Tennis-singles | 121 |
| Volleyball | 100 |
| Walking-2 mph | 83 |
| Walking-4.5 mph | 100 |
| Watching television | 18 |
| Yardwork | 54 |
Step Aerobics$14.95(USD)
This creative routine builds cardiovascular endurance and burns excess fat at a fast rate. A nice variety of moves without complex choreography will keep your body in motion. The BONUS abdominal section will help firm and reshape your stomach area as well. Set on Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background, this workout is recommended for the intermediate to advanced participant.
Fitness through Aerobics (7th Edition)Jan Galen Bishop
$37.80(USD)
KEY BENEFIT: Fitness through Aerobics, Seventh Edition, teaches steps and methodologies for performing all types of aerobic dance exercises, as well as strength and flexibility exercises that contribute to proper technique. Readers like this book for its straightforward, accessible writing style and the wide range of topics and activities it covers. Fitness through Aerobics, Seventh Edition, illustrates step-by-step exercises, highlights various exercise methodologies, teaches injury prevention, and provides coverage of new trends in aerobics in addition to basic information like warm-up/cool-down activities and injury prevention. This book also supplies a list of websites and worksheets that make it easy for readers to access and apply information. KEY TOPICS: Aerobics, Wellness, and You!; Individual Differences: Let's Talk About You; The Aerobics Look: Clothing and Equipment; Fitness Components and Exercise Principles; The Aerobic Target Zone; Setting Goals and Reaching Your Dream; Posture: A Dynamic Concept; Warm-Up/Cool-Down: Flexibility; Rhythmic Aerobics: Variations and Styles; Body Toning through Resistance Exercises; Weights, Bands, Water, Stability Balls: Adding Resistance; The Mind-Body Connection; Nutrition and Weight Control; Prevention and Care; A Lifetime of Aerobics. For all readers interested in fitness and aerobics.
The Step F1010W Original Health Club Step$109.99(USD)
Used by more than 18,000 health clubs, the F1010W Original Club Step will help you get to your fitness goals in no time. The lightweight, instantly adjustable Step platform has a slip-proof, durable mat on top, and non-marking rubber floor pads on the bottom of the platform and the blocks. It has a generous 14 x 40 inches stepping surface that adjust to 4, 6, and 8 inches. The teal and purple platform and blocks are made of high density polyethylene, and they support up to 200 pounds.
About The Step
The Step is America's original aerobic fitness step system and is widely used by individuals and over 18,000 health clubs. The Step has a patented design for adjusting and stacking platforms together making it suitable for beginners and advanced steppers alike. The Step aerobic activity involves low-impact, high-intensity exercise - recommended by physical therapists and fitness professionals.
What's in the Box?
The Step Original Health Club Step
Manufacturer Warranty
90 days
Jane Fonda's Step Aerobic and Abdominal Workout$9.98(USD)
This multilevel class is safe for and accessible to beginners, and just right for intermediates. Three of Fonda's able and motivating instructors teach the 45-minute step class. Half the room does lower-intensity moves; the other uses higher steps and higher-intensity techniques. The teaching technique is excellent: a pattern is taught on the floor before taking it up on the step. One participant does the routines totally without the step to guide beginners or others who don't feel comfortable using the step. The patterns never get very complex, but they are varied enough to keep you interested and energized, and you can adjust your step height to make the workout harder if you wish. The instructors cue seamlessly. Fonda herself teaches the 10-minute abdominal segment, with enough variations of the standard crunch to keep your abs contracting and your mind engaged. --Joan Price
Totally Nude Aerobics$19.95(USD)
Welcome to "Totally Nude Aerobics", a place where exercise and erotica become one. Prepare to sweat... prepare to get pumped up... prepare to have a look at some of the sexiest aerobics instructors you'll ever see...step into the world of "Totally Nude Aerobics" and enjoy the work-out!
Aerobics Program For Total Well-Being: Exercise, Diet , And Emotional BalanceKenneth H. Cooper
$20.00(USD)
Jane Fonda Collection: Complete Personal Trainer Series - Low Impact Aerobics and Stretch; Abs, Buns & Thighs; Total Body Sculpting$19.98(USD)
Three of Jane Fonda's Personal Trainer Series programs all on 1 DVD! Program includes Jane Fonda's Personal Series: Abs, Buns, Thighs, Jane Fonda's Personal Series: Low Impact Aerobics & Stretch, and Jane Fonda's Personal Series: Total Body Sculpting.=20
Denise Austin - Xtralite:Beginner's Aerobics$9.98(USD)
Exercisers in search of a basic introduction to cardiovascular fitness will find a straightforward, honest-to-goodness beginner's layout in Denise Austin: Xtralite, Beginner's Aerobics. Austin's simple choreography and enthusiasm create an encouraging and approachable workout that can have real results if done frequently (at least three times a week). This half-hour session includes five minutes of warm-up, 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, and a five- minute cool down. In addition to being an incredibly time-savvy program, this workout illustrates a perfect example of gradually increasing intensity that will aid participants in reaching target heart rate range (not to mention staving off injuries). Safety is central throughout this session as lower back isolations and stretching play a key role in all phases of this workout. The movements within the aerobic portion are easy to follow and incorporate both the upper and lower body through choreography that lengthens and extends the torso and legs. Familiar steps like the grapevine, box step, and mambo are presented as singular moves without combining them or creating routines. This proves to be an accessible and simple approach to learning the basic format for any aerobic class. The music is not very motivational here, but Austin captures the true essence of a beginner's format both effectively and enthusiastically. This is a great place to begin any fitness regimen. --Olivia Voigts