30 April 2021

Freestyle Step - The Benefits.

Freestyle Step - The Benefits

...so is it really good for you?

The workout that revolutionised fitness

According to "The American Council on Exercise" Freestyle Step revolutionised the fitness industry in the 1980s. Ever since then, it seems that every fit man and woman is screaming down your throat to "Get off the couch and exercise!" with most these peeps seemingly just starting, in the middle of, or just finished a step routine. This has been more obvious by the tons of commercials (specially in the United States) pushing the benefits of freestyle step aerobics while trying to sell you the step, their clothing, the weights being used, .... their soul.

Many of you (that includes me too!) joined a gym so you could be one of the peeps into the next gym revolution. Or maybe, you did not, just because in your eyes it was just another new workout that will dim with time.

However, it turns out that it was not a fad, it was not fading away. Instead it grew into one of the greatest things could ever happened to the fitness industry, and to top it all off, not just was it a fun exercise, it is really good for you and your health!

Benefits of Step Aerobics:

Cardiovascular Health

One hour of step aerobics = running flat out for 11 kilometres. Step aerobics offers the same cardiovascular benefits as running for that long at maximum effort. ....I know which one I rather do!.
Your heart is a muscle like any other muscle in your body, so step aerobics is a great way to exercise your heart, your lungs, and the rest of your cardiovascular system. And just like any other muscle, through increased exercise, you can increase your heart's strength and endurance. A stronger "ticker" means you have a better "pump" machine to push your blood around your fant-a-bulous body. Secondary improvements are that of reducing heart and arterial strokes and diseases. Another added benefit is that your improvement during your workouts because more blood being thrown at the muscles, the more oxygen your muscles get, the more energy they have to execute whatever workout you through at them. Win/Win!!

Musculoskeletal Health

Say what? ... Musculoskeletal = Strength and density of the bones.
Freestyle Step Aerobics is a weight bearing workout. Even although it is considered to be a low impact form of exercising your booty. Since you cannot leave the kilos on the side while exercising, it means that even although it is a low impact workout, you still carry your own weight while Freestyle stepping.
So, after all of the above, where is the benefit? Well, since we cannot leave the extra weight we carry on the side of the gym floor, then our body self-defence mechanism to cope with the additional weight is that of increasing the bone mass by producing extra bone cells. Bone density is then increased allowing the bones to better manage your body with the provided weight. The additional bone cells makes your bones healthier, stronger. You can then balance better and helps you fight degenerative diseases like osteoporosis. So heck yes! that is a great benefit!

Weight Loss

YES!!
Freestyle Step Aerobics has enormous benefits regarding weight loss. Due to the Musculoskeletal and Cardiovascular benefits explained earlier, if you combine these two you have the recipe for a extremely effective tool to burn the hell out of your body fat (....others call them body love...).
Also, as you can choose your own level of intensity on your workout, it helps you to start loosing weight slowly, until such time that you can handle more intensity. As you build more intensity, more weight you shred, and then you are enabled to exponentially loose more and more weight until you reach your goal. Sweet! right?
But, how many calories can I burn with Freestyle step aerobics? There has been many studies in this regard, and they have shown that it can actually burn 600 calories in one hour. Go figure!
As we said before, you choose your intensity, so the calories you burn are dependent on the intensity of your workout, as well as the length of the workout. Clearly 10 minutes of freestyle step workout is not going to burn the same number of calories as a full hour would do. But to give you an estimate, a basic routine and basic intensity could burn anywhere between 300 calories to 400 calories. From these figures, you can model your workout to reach your desired goal. I mean, you can increase your workout intensity to burn more calories. You can do this by stepping faster. You could also choose not to increase the intensity, but increase the time of your workout, which in return will burn more calories. Another thing you can do to increase your fat burning.... sorry, I mean your calorie burning workout is to increase the height of your step by using additional step raisers. Raising the height of the step comes with additional danger, as you have to be aware that you need to raise your foot that little bit more than normal, so you do not trip over the step. If this is not your thing, combine workout length and make your workout just a little bit faster to achieve a greater benefit on the calorie burning department.

Mental Health

Our brain is addicted to endorphins. Little neurotransmitters of electrical signals. A good freestyle step workout releases endorphins in the brain, feeding its addiction.
Endorphins is like a drug, it helps relieving you of pain in the body, as well as relieving anxiety and helping you deal with stress a heck of a lot better.
Indirectly from freestyle step direct benefits, by losing weight with freestyle step as well as toning your body, you will feel awesome about your looks and increase your self-confidence levels. You just don't loose with freestyle step!.

Increased Leg Power

Who gets the bigger, better workout during your freestyle step workout, your body's lower muscles, that's who!
From your main leg muscles, the joints and little muscles in your ankles, all the way to every muscle in your feet will be the main protagonists during your workout as these will be carrying you, your body, your weight. To all this, add that this specific workout is done one leg, one ankle, one foot at the time, which means each leg brunts the workout on its own, without sharing the weight with the other leg, ankle, foot as these are not doing the same move at the same time.
The workout you get will not only be beneficial to the muscles of your legs, but it will also improve balance and stability on your legs. As a vicious circle, as you improve on your balance and stability on one of your legs, you are at the same time that you are putting the muscles of that leg to an increased workout you in fact will be building those muscles even at a faster rate.
Every muscle in your legs are used when you do freestyle step thus being beneficial for the lower body. Believe it or not, many athletes that depend on their legs, but furhtermore, on the strength of their legs (Cyclists, runners, and footballers come to mind) do include step workouts in their routines to maintain that required strenght.
But, from all of the muscles on our bodies, which ones are mostly used when doing freestyle step? I hear you say. The obvious answer is that freestyle step main muscles are those in the legs from the top of our legs, passing through our lower leg muscles, all the way to our ankles.
But maybe you are not aware that these are not the only muscles being worked out in your freestyle step routine. The Core muscles also are called in, mostly to help with balance and weight distribution during movement.
If you feel that you want those core muscles to work even harder, you can achieve a higher intensity on your upper body and core muscles by adding arm movements to the routine. So your Core, your upper body gets a good workout, but you also increase the number of calories being burnt while strengthening more muscles... Way to go!
Although not recommended when exercising intermediate to complex routines, if you find the need to add to your upper body intensity you might add sport resistance elastic bands with which you can add upper body routines in addition to your step aerobic routine. I personally do not recommend it, since there would be two sets of routines to remember.

Metabolic Rate Increase

The rate at which fat molecules are broken down by your proteins is what is called your metabolic rate. And this is something that freestyle step is good at if exercised regularly, it increases your metabolic rate.
Not only breaks down the calories and fat in the food you consume, but it also has a go at your existing body fat stored in those inconvenient corners of your body. So the more freestyle stepping you do, the more tough proteins your body creates that will be breaking fat and calories all over the place, thus your fat loss efforts would be more effective.
A hidden secret, and added benefit, is that as you do more freestyle step workouts you will also be increasing the rate that your body creates "H.G.H." (fancy acronym that stands for "Human Growth Hormone"). HGH is damn useful whe we are reaching a more advanced age, as naturally the older you get the less HGH you produce. There is nothing better than having the additional HGH when you can so you will be better for it later.
In brief, as you do more freestyle stepping, you will imporve your metabloic rate, aiding in the limitation of your calorie intake, and buring more excess fat from your body, while in the process creating a reserve of HGH for later use. What more could you ask for?

No matter what you think, it is a low impact workout!

But, what is low impact workout. Low impact workout is that workout in which you need to have one of your feet on the ground (or step) at all times. The main aim with low impact workouts is to lower the stress on your body when compared with high impact workouts.
Don't get me wrong, high impact workout is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends who looks at it. If it is being looked at by people that have good healthy joints, high impact workouts can achieve very good results with a minimum stress to their joints. On the other hand, if high impact workouts is being viewed by people that have joints that are weak or already have joint pain, then high impact aerobics would be dangerous for their joints, or change the workout from an enjoyable one to a painful one. These people should stay with freestyle Step or other low impact workout.
Step aerobics is a low impact form of workout, even although it is a high intensity one, thus it is less damaging to your joints than other workouts like runing, or skipping.
So i guess then, that after all of the above comments about joints, the question in everyone's mind would be "Is Freestyle Step Bad For Knees?". Freestyle step is a low impact exercise if done how it is intended. That is, at all times, one foot stays on the floor or your step platform at all times.
You have to be concious of you form, adding additional hand, wrist, ankle weights and avoid adding high impact moves to your freestyle step workout like jumps, hops, star jumps, etc... these additions can alter the fundamentals of freestyle step program was designed to be.
The basic and intermediate freestyle step is not bad for the knees, not really, but if you are not careful when adding variations to your program, or keeping bad form when exercising, these additions can be detrimental and be the cause of injuries. At all times you need to ensure to keep good form and follow the instructor's safety instructions such as, "always keep you entire foot inside the platform surface".

Adaptability

Great adaptability and versatility is one of the added benefits of freestyle step.
You can start with a step platform that is only 10 centimeters off the ground, or one even better, you remove the elevated step totally! For people with very low fitness levels and abilities or physical condition this is a great way to start.
As you improve your abilities in your workout, and as you increase your fitenss level, then you can start adding the platform, or increase the hight of your starting level. This will also increase the intensity of your workout. The step platform is about 10 centimeters off the ground, however if you are ready to increase even more, you can add "raisers" and place your step hight at 15 or 20 centimeters. It might get to the point where your fitness level has improved so much that you might raise your platform as high as 25 centimeters off the floor.
You probably have seen some members in freestyle step group sessions adding extra movements to the instructor's routine. This is clearly done by advanced step members. Some might add arm movements to exercise the upper body area while still working out the lower body doing freestyle step moves. Some might add faster moves, or if their joints permits, add high impact moves. Although I do not condone this, you might find that on basic, or intermediate workouts some members might use sports resistance elastic bands or even small hand/wrists/ankle weights to further increase their workout intensity.
I again repeat myself that I do not condone elastic bands or weights during a freestyle step workout, due to concerns with potential injuries. Instead you might choose to increase the speed of your step moves and get your heart working at a faster rate. The other thing you can do, as discussed before is to increase the height of your step. These alternatives are less risky than using elastic bands and/or weights during a freestyle step workout.

Minimal equipement required

It is great being part of a step class group that enjoy their workout and their sense of community although it is not always possible to come down to your local gym for a step class session. And if you attend these classes week after week, paying per session or per membership, it can be costly.
You can always opt for doing step aerobics at home. Specially now with COVID-19, you can find many sessions online and available for your to be part of. All you need is to buy a step with or without raisers.
Nothing else is needed. However, as mentioned above, and against my recommendation, you might choose to add sport resistance elastic bands which are not costly at all, and might add intensity to your workout. I strongly suggest not to used them in an intermediate or advanced routine. Remember you might be alone at home and an injury might be hard to manage if no one else is around.
Ok, ok, ok,... you have decided to workout at home, so now, where can you find a step aerobic platform to buy? Aerobics platforms are not expensive, however they are small enough to be portable. Your step platform needs to be slip-proof, resistent and durable, and preferably come with raisers to allow you to increase the workout height and intensitey.
This month, at my local KMart store in Sydney, I saw Aerobic Step platforms at $45 australian dollars! and it did include the raisers!.

Conclusion

Everyone can take get benefits from freestyle step aerobics. All the way from beginners to the most advanced members, regardless of the numbers of "X" chromosomes, or their ages (although recommended for 16 year olds upwards), just about everybody can add freestyle step to their exercise routine and rip in all of the benefits stated above. A 60 minute freestyle step workout can burn from 400 to 600 calories depending on the workout intensity helping you to look the best "you" you can fathom. As a double "Wammer" it will help train your heart, lungs, bones, muslces and just about every part of your body, from lower body to upper body although at a lasser level. Freestyle step is one of the best workout options available. Don't waste your time, if you haven't yet tried it, do it now, join a class, soak in the atmosphere of the class and rip on all of the benefits... and to top it all, it even fun!

"The information provided herein is strictly for educational purposes. Always consult your qualified Group Fitness Instructor before implementing any suggestions above."

Disclaimer

You must get your physician's approval before beginning any exercise suggested in this blog or any of its articles. Any recommendations found within these articles are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You must consult your physician prior to starting any suggestions in this blog, or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity. The suggestions in this blog article are designed for individuals 18 years and older that have been approved by their physician to take any of the suggestions above.

The information in this blog article is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. As such we advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this blog article, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training and fitness. The exercises and dietary programs in this article are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or treatment or dietary regime that may have been prescribed by your physician.

Do not lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. Do not perform any exercises unless you have been shown the proper technique by a certified personal trainer or certified strength and conditioning specialist. Always ask for instruction and assistance when lifting. Do not perform any exercise without proper instruction. Always do a warm-up prior to resistance training and interval training.

See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking any medications, you must talk to your physician before starting any exercise program, including Freestyle Step Aerobics. If you experience any light-headedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician.

You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician. If your physician recommends that you do not do Freestyle Step Aerobics, please follow your Doctor's orders.

That was our January 2021 article, our first article for the 2021. Remember to feel free to comment, or contact me via email to FreestyleStepXTRVGNZ@gmail.com , and comment on what you think of this article, or any article you have read, or just any improvements you may want to see happening.

Bruno Jimenez
January 2021

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01 February 2021

Freestyle Step Aerobics - What is this?

...why is it such a good exercise to get into

Introduction

Everyday scientists around the world discover new health benefits attributed to physical exercise. Almost everyone, regardless of his or her physical condition, can participate in some form of exercise. We will go as far as saying that even some exercise programs can reverse some of the negative effects of aging, even if done for a short period of time, on this complex and vital system that controls your daily life, your body.

Many of the sources from the many of the fitness information I have extracted for my Blog articles, do state that the best exercise for beginners is our beloved Freestyle Step aerobics.

So this article today is going to be shining some light on Freestyle Step Aerobics exercising and its impact to us all.

Freestyle Step aerobics is a fun and exciting exercise which is choreographed to music, grouping 64 beat counts for a “Block” of exercise and uses an elevated step platform (known simply as 'the step'). At its basic levels, freestyle step is amazing for toning the lower body as well as being the best exercise for beginners who want to lose weight and have fun along the way.

Why Freestyle Step Aerobics?

Why is it a better option?

Why would Freestyle Step be a better option than any other form of physical exercise?. The most important reason is that it is extremely easy to get into freestyle step exercises. You don't have to buy an expensive set of equipment for freestyle step aerobics. All you need to do is to join a group exercise freestyle step class at one of your local gyms. If you choose to freestyle step at home, you’ll need an elevated step along with highly motivating and blood pumping music in the background and you are ready to go.

In regards to the Coronavirus pandemic, Gyms are a safe place to keep practicing your beloved freestyle step classes. Use their suggested prevention measures, and make sure you clean your step, step risers and your immediate area of exercise before and after each session.

However if you are worried and choose not to join public classes, you don't have to worry. You can carry on freestyle step aerobics at home via online classes, an exercise video/DVD/MP4, or other various platforms like Youtube streaming, Freestyle Step XTRVGNZ videos, Facebook videos, etc... for more details have a look at my article “Freestyle Step - Best thing to do during the quarantine” to see why freestyle step aerobics is a great idea in quarantine.

Benefits of freestyle step aerobics

Exercising is crucial for living a healthy life. Exercising has huge benefits that can help with many health problems such as excessive weight and high blood pressure. There are many more benefits, the list of benefits from freestyle step is very long, thus I have listed here, and based on my opinion, some of the better ones:

Reduce the risk of premature mortality

Alpa Patel, an infectious disease epidemiologist specialist at the American Cancer Society and author of a study that analyses the link between exercise and mortality, says that exercising more than 450 minutes (7.5 hours) every week can increase your lifespan. In my personal opinion, I wouldn’t argue with this fact. So people doing Freestyle Step at least an hour a day, have a better chance to live longer than those who seldom exercise or do not exercise at all.

Reduce high blood pressure

High blood pressure has been linked to a few chronic health problems. High blood pressure (or also known as hypertension) can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to disability, a reduced quality of life, or even cause you a fatal heart attack or stroke. Regular Freestyle Stepping strengthens your heart. Logically a strong and healthy heart can pump a lot more blood with very little required effort. Freestyle Step lowers blood pressure by reducing the stiffness in the arteries so blood can flow more easily.

Reduce the risk of developing diabetes

Regular Freestyle Step can also help with the prevention of diabetes. Step increases the insulin sensitivity of your cells. So when you exercise, you need less insulin to keep your blood sugar levels under control. It has also been identified that patients vulnerable to type 2 diabetes can reduce, by more than half, their risk of developing the disease by eating a low fat diet and doing half an hour of Freestyle Step a day. Another study recently found that for patients at risk of type 2 diabetes, diet and Cardio exercises were more effective than the drug metformin at preventing the disease.

Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones and joints

Freestyle Step affects the body by maintaining healthy joints, bones and muscles. Freestyle Step is very effective in strengthening bones as well as muscles. Step can also be very beneficial in building strong bones in children, as well as maintaining them till an advanced age. Because bone is a living tissue, it changes over time in response to the force exerted on it. However, if you are worried that working out could cause knee damage or pain, then you should consider a freestyle step session at a basic level. Freestyle Step was created as a knee joint therapy by Gin Miller. Aerobics competitor Gin Miller was sidelined from high-impact activities in 1986 when she injured her knee. She was advised by her physical therapist to build her strength back up by stepping on and off an upside-down plastic milk crate 11 inches (28 cm) tall. The crate was too high, so Gin Miller used her 8-inch front porch step instead. After a few weeks of therapy, she noticed her increased fitness and realized this would be a good workout method for others. For this reason, if you have joint problems, then you can start freestyle Step with basic level and slowly and safely build your health level.

Types of step Aerobics

You can see in many gym’s timetables a large variety of Step classes, such as basic, athletic, Zumba-Step, Dance-Step, intermediate, moves, Advanced, etc… However freestyle step aerobics is only divided into 2 types, and all you need to do is to understand the differences between them, high-impact step aerobics and low-impact step aerobics.

Low-impact Step Aerobics

Low-impact step aerobics involves stepping onto and off the raised platform with one foot at a time. During this exercise at least one foot is in contact with the ground or on the step platform at any time.

Low Step Aerobics was developed to reduce extremity leg injuries associated with high impact step.

Things to consider:

when stepping up, do not allow any part of the foot to hang over the edge of the platform
make sure to step up with the heel first and with the ball of your foot when stepping down
maintain good posture with abdominals tucked in, back straight.
Minimise turns, jumps and direction changes
Keep music to a constant between 120 and 124 beats per minute (BPM)

High-impact Step Aerobics

Unlike low impact step aerobics, high impact might include lifting your both feet off the ground or the step at some point. This level is a little more quick pased and challenging compared to low impact step aerobics. High impact step aerobics uses aerobic movements such as jumping and hopping. This exercise provides great cardiovascular advantages along with good metabolic benefits, although it does increase the risk of injury if not performed properly. High-impact aerobics requires more concentration and able to turn and hop on the step.

Things to consider:

If not performed properly and with care, this level of exercise may have a higher reported injuries, particularly in the lower body.
high impact aerobics may be inappropriate for individuals with bio-mechanical or other factors that predispose participating members to injury in the lower leg and foot regions
Participants might not be aware that the session which they attended is a high impact one, or that they might just recently moved from low impact to high impact session, thus it is encouraged that instructors do show both the low impact and the high impact form of the moves known as the basic or “base move”
There is a more complex routine. Made of well thought moves or “blocks”.
Music might be from 130 to 136 beats per minute. Some more specialised sessions might increase to 140 beats per minute.
There is a clear concentration towards the moves and their complexity, including jumps, hops and turns.

Conclusion

Freestyle step is not an expensive exercise to start with, especially if you are a member of a gym that already offers this form of exercise. Just join the session and you will be provided with the stepping platform. For beginners, I suggest not to add any risers to the platform until you are confident with your moves.

The other added bonus is that gym’s have gone the extra length to ensure their members would not be exposed to the coronavirus by being very careful and thorough with their cleaning procedures. Gyms also provide additional disinfectant to the level provided by the government. Gyms instructions even encourage members to clean their equipment (Step equipment to us) before and after use.

If unable to attend sessions, you can always attend one of the so many online sessions. Where possible you could use a step you can purchase from a large retail provider, or improvise. Always make sure the step is secure, and strong to support you and your impact on it.

Freestyle step does extend your lifespan when it is periodically executed. In addition you would also gain a reduction on your blood pressure. Some studies also indicate a reduction in getting diabetes.

Against the belief of many, when freestyle step is properly executed, it does not impact your joints, on the contrary it builds your joints, bones and muscles.

Freestyle step aerobics is only a safe exercise as far as the moves are done as they were meant to be performed. Variations to this might not cause short or long term consequences to you, but it might. A small error might cause you to miss your step or twist your ankle or trip over, etc… These accidents are increased two and three fold when executed over a high-impact session.

"The information provided herein is strictly for educational purposes. Always consult your qualified Group Fitness Instructor before implementing any suggestions above."

Disclaimer

Bruno Jimenez
January 2021

01 January 2021

Losing Weight with Freestyle Step

...and how can Freestyle Step help us with it

Introduction

I am sure you have witnessed, at least once in your lifetime, someone making fun of a person for being chubby, overweight or simply just not skinny. We all get that bullying and making fun of someone based on their weight is bad, really bad, very bad. Although the people blurting these name callings might not have been serious, or meant to have been done in a ‘joking’ manner. But this is their point of view. Have you seen it from the point of view of the people that these comments were addressed to? These sarcastic comments can have heavy negative psychological effects on these people. You might see them putting up a brave smiley face, but deep down they are very hurt.

However this article is not about the psychology and effects of verbal abuse when in regards to people's weight. This article is about freestyle stepping and losing weight.

The logical approach to an excessive weight issue is that of losing the extra kilos. Most people in this category have, at one point or another, made the decision to act on it and attempt losing a few KGs. Which I believe is a damn wise and healthy decision. But as the say goes, ‘it’s easier said than done’. Losing weight is seriously hard work.

Hard work does not mean impossible, so please do not lose hope. There are vast numbers of solutions and/or options available in this world of ours, including secret tips from 5 year old kids to 90 years old grannies. So today I am going to suggest to you a very interesting and easy method for losing weight, based on my own opinion and experience.

Who should consider shredding some of that COVID-19 extra weight, or winter padding, or just some extra kilos that are being carried around?. I have been guilty as many other people refuse to accept that we fall under one of the above criterias, but just simply stating that we are just a little ‘plump’ but still physically healthy. Although this might be true at some level, most of the time is just a “white lie” we tell ourselves. Although sometimes we are guilty to jump to conclusions when, for example, we are referring to people with strong and broad bodies.

So my suggestion is to stop assuming and firstly calculate the BMI (body mass index). If you want to check whether you/someone could be falling into the “underweight”, “Normal” weight, “Overweight”, “Obese” or “Extremely Obese”. Whatever the result, make sure you do advise the people you are measuring that, as myself, you are not a doctor, and that they should be referring to their doctor for a more precise measurement.

Calculating the BMI may sound very complicated but, infact, there is nothing to worry about as it is as simple as dividing the weight of the person being measured with the square of their height or BMI=weight/(height)2. For example, someone that is 1.78 centimeters tall, and weighs 72 kilograms would mean that the formula would look like “BMI=72/(1.78)2” which is same as saying “BMI=72/(1.78 x 1.78)”, which is same as saying “BMI=72/3.1684”, which is same as saying “BMI=22.7244” or “22.7” which is considered “Healthy weight range”. I guess your calculations will be different to mine, as your weight and height might differ from those I entered, thus you can use this table to understand what your BMI calculation might mean.

BMI	Classification
Less than 18.5	Underweight
18.6 to 24.9	Healthy Weight Range
25 to 29.9	Overweight
30 and over	Obese

Source: Australian Government, Department of Health, http://healthyweight.health.gov.au/

In brief, you aim to be between a BMI of 18.5 and 24.9. However, since I am a mere mortal and not a doctor, all this information is my own opinion, and do strongly suggest you to consult with your doctor first (...also recommend you to review my disclaimer statements in the bottom of this article). Remember that being overweight is dangerous, but also if you are underweight!

Alright, enough beating around the bush. let's get to the point. My own personal opinion on what method to use to help you to lose weight is freestyle step aerobics (of course you knew I was about to say that anyhow!

What Is Freestyle Step?

If you are reading this, you know about freestyle step, but if you are wondering what freestyle step is, you can read one of my old 2016 articles here “ What is Step Aerobic Exercise? ” for a detailed explanation. But i guess you might not have the time to dig out the article and read it, so to simply put it I would say that freestyle steps are exercises and movements performed using an elevated studio step which are choreographed by a qualified instructor to the beat of great music.

Freestyle Step As A Tool To Lose Weight

Why would I suggest freestyle step? Why should we use it as a tool to help us lose weight? Well, I know that losing weight is not easy as it is a very challenging thing to do most of the time, but the reason that made me recommend freestyle step to you is that, as stated in my 2016 article mentioned above, it helps reduce fat due to its cardiovascular nature, but for me, the main reason is it’s addictiveness. If you stick to it then, as it happened to me, you will enjoy every second of your freestyle step aerobics workout.

Like most other exercises, the most common approach by people is that of getting super hyped when they start some new workout routine, however their energy hits bottom just after a few days or sometimes after their first attempt. You might have noticed that people do not give up easily on the things they enjoy and that they are comfortable with. However this is not the case with freestyle step if you are new to it. It takes time to get used to the movement name calling, the instructor’s way of teaching, etc… but I guarantee you that once you pass this first phase of learning by persistence, step time is going to be the most looked forward to time of the day in your schedule.

Freestyle Step And Health Benefits

Why did I recommend you freestyle step aerobics?. Lets not go any further than the health benefits it gives you when sticking to it. Doing step aerobics regularly can have a huge impact on your weight. According to “Harvard Health” Publication " Harvard Health - The 4 most important types of exercise ", High-intensity step aerobics is the one of the best weight loss exercises among fitness activities.

With Step Aerobics, like with any other aerobic exercise, a person weighing about 70 kilograms will burn 744 calories per hour doing step aerobics. Which is why I stated in my August 2020 blog article “ Freestyle Step, best thing to do during the quarantine ” that freestyle step was, and still is, the best option in the disastrous period of the COVID-19 pandemic as most of the people are confined to their homes. To top it all off, If you take part in aerobic exercise, such as step aerobics, your legs can get really strong, as stated in " Choosing the Right Exercise ," a report by The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook. The report states that step aerobics has a positive effect on your upper leg muscles, including your quadriceps and your muscles. After all, legs are one of the major muscle groups, thus the more leg workout, the more blood pumping through your body, the more muscle in your legs, the more energy they burn, etc… But like with all exercises, stop exercising if while doing step aerobics your muscles become sore and rest for at a couple of days before you try again…. NOTE: I said “try again”, I do not want to hear that you have given up on this wonderful exercise!

Freestyle Step Different From Other Types Of Exercise? How Different?

Freestyle step is very different from other types of exercise out there as you don’t have to spend a fortune to get into it. All you need is an elevated step and a good instructor, either “Live” or “Virtual” to follow their instruction.

I have said it once, I have said it many times, freestyle step is not easy, but it is a great start if you join a beginner level as your first step (pun intended) into the world of freestyle step. Coordination and be able to follow moves as called in by the instructor is an immense task to get used to. On the other hand, if you find beginner level a bit easy for you, then you could give a go to intermediate and complex level. But don’t bite more than you can eat!. Be sure to have mastered the “easy” level first. To that add that there is no age for Freestyle step. It doesn't matter if you are a teenager or a seasoned gym junkie, if you have a healthy enough pair of lungs and legs then you are fit to go. The rest, like coordination and being able to follow the instructor, will come with practice and time. I expanded on this same point, regarding age and step aerobics, in a post posted a blog especially on this topic. Have a look at “ Is Freestyle Step only for older generation? ” .

Conclusion

If you feel that you need to lose some weight then why not join a fantastic way to do just that, and have fun in the process. Just remember that you are talking about your own life, thus it totally depends on you how you go about it, and when you go about it. But if you have identified that you need to lose some, and you have made up your mind to lose weight, then I congratulate you!. You have made a very hard choice, but one that I believe is a wise one. Achieving your choice to lose weight will differentiate you from the ones that are more likely to develop a huge number of risk factors due to their weight. These risks might include high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, heart disease, stroke or including Type 2 diabetes. So losing some extra kilos will only do you good

"The information provided herein is strictly for educational purposes. Always consult your qualified Group Fitness Instructor before implementing any suggestions above."

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Bruno Jimenez
January 2021

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30 April 2021