Aerobics to Lose Weight

Jane Fonda popularized the aerobic workout during the 1980s, pushing it to the masses via videotapes. Nowadays almost every gym has some form of aerobics class, be it step aerobics or Tae Bo. That's because aerobics is still an entertaining and effective weight loss program that almost anyone can do.

  1. Beginning Aerobics

    • If you haven't done any form of exercise and you want to start with aerobics, don't just sign up and walk in the next day. There is a natural tendency to keep up with the class pace, which can be too fast for your untrained body. Instead, begin with walking. Walking or brisk walking will get your blood circulation flowing and get your body used to demanding oxygen into the arms and legs. When a 30-minute walk becomes easy, slide into a beginner's aerobics class or stay with low-impact movements. Failure to do so could lead to serious injuries. Your mind may be willing to take on the tougher moves, but your body could pay for it later.

    High Impact

    • For high calorie burn, a high-impact aerobics class can do the trick. Consider high-impact aerobics if you find the normal aerobics is becoming easy. Once you've reached this level, expect to move your body in an exaggerated fashion. A normal knee lift turns into a knee lift toward the chest. In step aerobics, you might be double-timing the steps or increasing the step height. Some programs such as Tae Bo are naturally high impact. Tae Bo also incorporates resistance training in the form of bands and hand weights. Make sure you limit high-impact aerobic activity to less than an hour per session. Any longer and you could start to push yourself out of the fat-burn zone into the catabolic zone, which burns muscle mass.

    Water Aerobics

    • Sometimes aerobics can be tough on the joints, especially for obese people or those recovering from knee surgery. In this case, consider using water aerobics for weight loss. Water aerobics can burn between 450 and 700 calories per hour. The natural resistance from the water helps develop lean muscle mass with very little pressure on the joints. Floaters, water shoes and kickboards can help nonswimmers; most classes are done with water at chest level anyway. Increasing the difficulty level is also easy to do; aerobics instructors would simply add more rhythmic movements to the routines.