Aerobic Rant: Dust Off Your Sneakers

Exercise has always been trendy. From Jack LaLanne to the latest Wii technology, I’m sure you can fill in the blanks decade by decade. I’m not particularly upset by that. Trends drive the industry.
Some of them are downright wonderful as is the case towards softer workouts like yoga and Pilates. One thing that does bug me though is the trend towards doing only yoga and Pilates. They do little or nothing for your heart.
I love these forms of exercise but not at the expense of the basics.
Remember Aerobics? (It’s trendier to call it cardio now)
But if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get fit, it won’t work unless you get a regular dose of cardio. In case you forgot, aerobics is any exercise using your large muscle groups to increase the body’s need for oxygen over an extended period of time. Low impact Cardio Dance, Brisk Walking, Jogging, Biking and Swimming, are all good forms of aerobic exercise.
According to the National Institutes of Health a half hour of moderate aerobic exercise a day can reduce risk of heart attack by 50 percent and have a positive effect on most of the problems associated with aging.
Cardio energizes your body from the inside out. Your heart is pumping like mad. Your lungs and arteries are hard at work delivering the oxygen that you need to keep going.
Your muscles are getting a great workout carrying your body around. You’re burning a bunch of calories and if you keep it up for 30 minutes or more, your natural mood enhancers, the endorphins kick in and you get the exerciser’s high.
You can see why you’d want to get a daily dose of aerobic exercise.
It goes a long way toward reducing our risk for disease, managing our weight, and lightening our mood to help us stay fabulous forever.
So dust off your sneakers. Happy New Year!

Mirabai Holland M.F.A. legendary fitness pioneer is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and public health activist who specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women. Her Moving Free® approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn’t feel like work.