Cardio workouts such as jogging on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine, cab burn calories but the repetitiveness can get boring fast. If you are tired of climbing and running in place, but love to shake, rattle and roll, then it's time to give dance aerobics a try. The melding of aerobics moves with modern dance steps is a winning way to trim down and tone up. And it's so much fun that you might not even realize you're working out.
The Hip to the Hop
In the 1980s, Jazzercise, a combination of aerobics and jazz dancing, became a fitness fad. Today, aerobics dance classes have become much more sophisticated. Hip-hop aerobics came into prominence in the early 1990s, when rap music began to spread in popularity, infiltrating many areas of mainstream pop culture. This style of aerobics mixes intricate, funky, music video-style dance moves with heartbeat-raising jumps and lunges. Most instructors use a radio-friendly soundtrack of club hits so the familiarity of the music makes the classes even more enjoyable.
The Games People Play
Video games don't always mean shooting up bad guys while riding around in fast cars. An entire family of rhythm-based games are available that challenge you to get up and get moving. The "Just Dance" franchise is a top-selling option for those with a Wii. Just hold the paddle and follow the moves on screen. XBox's "Dance Central" uses the Kinect sensor, which detects the player's motion so you're entire body acts as the controller as you mirror the moves on-screen.
Zumba All Night
The Zumba program was born nearly two decades ago when fitness instructor Alberto "Beto" Perez forgot to bring his aerobics music to class and improvised by playing the salsa mix-tapes he was carrying in his bag. The moves he taught to the class matched the music and a new style of aerobics dance was created. Today, Zumba Fitness blends multicultural dance styles such as Latin, Bollywood and African and is more like a dance party than an aerobics program. Classes are taught all over the world and DVDs are available so you can Zumba at home.
Jump, Jive and Exhale
You don't need to take a class that is labeled aerobics to get the benefits of aerobic activity. Any form of dance performance will burn calories as long as you do it for at least 30 minutes. If you are a "Dancing With the Stars" fan, you can take ballroom classes. Styles that bring up the heart rate the most such as the quickstep and the jive are especially effective fat-burners. If you don't have a partner, give jazz, modern or tap a try.
Posted in: Aerobic Dance