Talk:Aerobics

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Contents 1 Working on improvements 2 Types and Styles 3 Aerobics and Health 4 Some personal notes on fitness training in the U.S. from the 1950s until 2007

[edit] Working on improvements

I've fleshed out the lead a little bit. I'll find citations for my own additions, which I haven't referenced yet. There's still a lot more to add, but at least the definition is correct. Yahoo!Sirius 04:28, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Types and Styles

Why is 80s fashion described in the section about "aerobics styles"? Shouldn't things like "step aerobics" or "spinning" be in that?

[edit] Aerobics and Health

I cannot accept the statement, "Research has been shown that aerobics is one of the healthiest forms of exercise". I have added a Refimprove tag to highlight the need for some kind of referencing or basis for this statement, along with comments about other health benefits such as building a stronger heart and other claimed benefits. Just as important, more description of exactly how these benefits are realised. i.e. Volume/Intensity/Duration/Frequency need to be addressed and the correlation to these claimed benefits. Kavedave 02:27, 8 July 2007 (UTC)Kavedave

Exactly what are you challenging about the statement? Aerobic exercise in general, perhaps not aerobics in particular, is the type of exercise recommended by doctors to treat cardiovascular problems. Any aerobic exercise is helpful, that is to say, any exercise that increases the heart rate and is sustained for more than several minutes. Aerobics fit that description quite nicely. WLU 12:29, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

The section should be ref'd, for sure. I put back the ref tag. And WLU, I'm not sure that your change to the opening sentence of that section was an improvement, so I changed it back. I'm going to ref the whole article, it's on my to do list. Yahoo!Sirius 20:33, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

As you like, it should be referenced. I've made a couple changes to the intro again, tweaked the picture, corrected some wikilinks and moved the refimprove tag to the proper spot.. At minimum, please ensure the wikilink changes are preserved and the refimprove tag is placed at the top of the section. Also, I moved the fact tag to the top of the page and removed the other citation needed tags - {{refimprove}} at the top means the other tags are redundant. WLU 22:23, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Some personal notes on fitness training in the U.S. from the 1950s until 2007

DHamiltonSherman 14:34, 2 October 2007 (UTC) Regarding Aerobics and its History:

A boomer recalls:

In the early 1970s, I remember reading in a 'womens' magazine,' that The United States Air force had developed a then-new concept for fitness, called "Aerobics." The name 'aerobics' refers to the presence of oxygen in the physical workout. Making certain to breathe while moving rapidly nourishes the cells with oxygen during a routine, improving heart function and assisting with loss of excess weight. This stops an unconscious tendancy for some exercise newcomers to hold their breath, as they nervously steele themselves for exertion.

I am a former fitness instructor who worked in a ladies weight loss salon, in Towson, Maryland. It was clear that the goal of my employer was to sell programs. Employees were considered to be loafing, if they did not encourage a salon member to extend the length of her membership during every opportunity to speak with her. After the summer "2 for 1" membership sale, we heard complaints that there wasn't enough space on the floor to exercise during popular evening classes. We had sold more memberships than we had space to use.

There was some consciousness of safety, and it was acknowleged by the owner to his staff, that the half-hour classes given regularly throughout the day were more effective than the equipment members loved to use.

The salon had exercise bikes, an ineffective series of motorized wooden massage rollers, situp platforms with straps to hold down one's feet and the now-defunct "vibrator belt." Vibrator belts were wide canvas straps, hooked at each end to a what looked like a small rowboat motor mounted on a pole. The theory was that vigorous rubbing of a womans fatty areas, such as her thighs, would warm and loosen fat from the cells. We were instructed to be vigilant and prevent women from using this device on the midriff, for fear it might result in heart attack. One can occasionally see this device in old movies made in the 1930's.

As for the situp boards, My employer was more advanced than my school gym instructors had been. They now encourged one to bend the knees. I had come all through school peforming situps, waist sidebends and foreward bends with knees locked, as we did the jerky, rapid bouncing motions now warned against. In those days, John F. Kennedy's Council on Physical Fitness was visiting our school with stopwatches and clipboards. They shook their heads in horror, when they realized I could not do one stiup or chin up. We were lucky to be the ones shedding light on this.

Kids today don't benefit from the frequency of physical training we got in years following - 3 to 4 days a week. Lack of exercise now results in overweight children under 12 exhibiting type 2 diabetes. My neighbor's 11 year old was recently diagosed to be suffering from high blood pressure.

The spa for which I worked, "Holly Woods Figure Salon," had no showers or lockers, only glamourous carpet and mirrored walls. It was located on the top floor of a strip mall above a most unfortunate clock repair shop. The jumping of heavy women above did not help these delicate mechanisms.

Left cynical by my old job, I stayed away from health clubs for long time. I benefitted from such television experts as Joannie Greggins, Lilias, Denise Austin, a Handsome Israeli man whose name I am sorry to have forgotten,and a show called "Body by Janis." I was always mentally comparing them to the pioneer tv-fitness grand daddy of them all - Jack La Laine. Tragically, I just turned on the "Lifetime" channel today, to learn that "My Workout, by Pod Fitness," is discontined in favor of a show encouraging marriage and displaying wedding cakes. To my mind, neither should be approached until basic college level education, including fitness training and psychology have been completed.

Creation of the VCR and DVD player has been a godsend to those of us who want to exercise at home. The result is a flood of tapes and CDs. My advice here is to take a close look at the certification and the body of the instructor featured. Billy Blanks offered an excellent aerobic workout in his heyday, via kickboxing. Be sure and check with your doctor about anything that intense, and work up to it gradually. If money is tight, check the video section of your local public library.

 I'm happy to say Gyms have improved in recent years, with instructors often more interested in the club member than his or her wallet.  Organizations such as the J.C.C. and Y.M.C.A. offer their gym and various classes at very affordable prices.  Here in Maryland, community colleges require a basic health course as a prerequisite for graduation, and offer authoritative courses in such topics as aerobics, karate, dance, and yoga.

Years ago, an older friend gave me a subsription to "Prevention" Health magazine. For updates on aerobics, and other topics, I recommend it highly.

D. Hamilton Sherman Elkton, Maryland, U.S. October 2, 2007. gracefulfish@hotmail.com (Please, no spam. Thanks.) DHamiltonSherman 14:34, 2 October 2007 (UTC)