Aerobics and Fitness Daily

Aerobic exercise stimulates genes in the body to produce new blood vessels that allow more oxygen to reach muscles, increasing their effectiveness.

A new study has shown that in some people, this genetic switch may never be triggered - limiting their benefits from aerobic exercise.

“Our study introduces a new complication — that is, it is possible that some people can’t benefit from exercise as much as others, and these people may ultimately be at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease,” Timmons, a scientist at the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, told Discovery News.

He added, “On a practical level, the low responders may simply have to invest much more time and effort training to gain the same benefits. This last point is, however, only speculation. The low-responders may always remain low-responders.”

(Discovery.com)

Stability balls are known by number of names: Swiss balls, Pilates balls, yoga balls, exercise balls, and balance balls. The durable vinyl spheres first started showing up in Europe in the 1950’s - used by patients seeking muscular and neurological rehabilitation.

Stability balls, which are durable vinyl spheres, are now a serious part of fitness and exercise programs in gyms and fitness clubs nationwide. They are used in Pilates classes, in aerobics classes, in weight training, and by personal trainers for a host of exercises - from stretching to relaxation to strenuous all-around workouts.

The stability ball didn’t move beyond the realm of physical rehabilitation and enter the fitness scene until the late 1980s, and then only on a limited basis. Mike Morris, president of the Resist-A-Ball, Inc. was one of the first to use stability balls as a fitness tool in the United States. He rolled out his Resist-A-Ball at fitness trade show in 1993.

Experts say that the balls are an excellent, low-impact way to improve existing workouts. The balls are found health clubs and are small and sturdy enough to be used at home.

Stability balls ranging from 21 to 24 inches in diameter are suitable for most people, although people more than 5-feet-7 inches tall might choose a larger diameter ball.

When a person does a basic sit-up on the ball, his or her back is pushing into the ball and forcing the exerciser to work harder. It’s a big improvement over a floor sit-up, when a person’s back naturally tends to rise up off the floor.

(Quoted material from The Monitor.)

Michelle L’amour wants to teach women how to dance. Sexy dance. Sexy aerobics dance.

She offers a combination get-in-shape and get-hot class all in one.

“You’re going to have to look at that wall like it’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen,” advises Michelle L’amour as she teaches burlesque dancing, which is striptease-style dancing with more fanfare and less nudity. Picture Colin Farrell (or the person of your choice) at the other end of the room and ravish him with a sultry, come-hither look, she advises. And wearing high heels or a feather boa never hurts.

“I really like making women feel sexy,” says L’amour, who holds the title of Miss Exotic World, the equivalent of Miss America for exotic dancers.

Source.

Read the Aerobics and Fitness Daily pole dancing review guide.

With the success of television show “Dancing with the Stars” people are rushing to join dance classes as a way to get in shape and have a little fun.

“People are looking for alternative fun ways to work out,” says Helen Vanderburg, a spokesperson for the San Diego-based IDEA Health and Fitness Association, and owner of Heavens Fitness, a gym in Calgary, Canada.

“More and more people [at the gym] are interested in doing dance-based classes,” she says. “In the last six months, dance classes are starting to pop up in more clubs.”

Source.

Pole dancing has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, vouched for by Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives, and has swept through the US, Europe and the rest of the world like wildfire.

And now, its reached Edmond, Oklahoma.

“We worked for eight months to make (pole dancing) an exercise,” said Laura Rahhal, owner of Nothing But Class. “All of the moves are everything you’ve done in a gym - (you) just haven’t used a pole.”

The classes definitely provide a total body workout to all those participating.

“You would be amazed at how much strength it takes to do a workout like this,” said Shana Briggs, an instructor at the gym. “And besides the fitness benefits, it gives women such a good feeling personally. It definitely increases self-esteem.”

Read the entire article here…

Read the Aerobics and Fitness Daily pole dancing review guide.