AEROBIC DANCE FOR HEALTH AND

FITNESS

“Take care of your body. It’s the only

place you have to live in.”
Anonymous
 
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Aerobic Dance is not only an activity that provides a good aerobic workout
in a pleasurable rhythmic way, but also provides an opportunity for
socialization and allows one to make new friends. Aerobic Dance can be
made accessible for individuals with disabilities. Most individuals with
disabilities need little help or no modifications to participate successfully
in a regular aerobic dance program. It offers individuals with special needs
a safe and good workout, and helps them to lead a healthier and more
meaningful life.
Aerobic dance is a fan way to get fit. It combines fat- burning aerobic
movements, muscle-building exercises, and stretching into routines that
are performed to music. Many dance forms are used, including disco, jazz,
and ballet. Any ages can benefit from aerobic dance. Aerobic dance
classes are usually offered at three levels of intensity. A low impact class is
conducted at a slower pace and is easier to do to improve the efficiency of
the heart and lungs in people who are already fit. In the intermediate
classes, dancers benefit their heart and lungs as they gain overall strength
and flexibility. The advanced classes, also called high-impact, are for fit
people who want a hard workout.
 A large percentage of aerobic dance class participants and instructors
injure themselves. Most injuries will cause them to fatigue and increase
risk for injury. Dancing on the wrong type of floor can lead to injury. Do
not take high impact classes on concrete or tile floors. They are too hard.
A floor that is too soft many cause ankle sprains. Hard wood or cushioned
flooring is best. Avoid floors that are extremely sticky of slick. The best
clothing for aerobic dance is lightweight and allows freedom of
movement. Wear shoes that give good support and cushioning to the ball
of your feet. Shoes should slide on the floor without sticking. Hand, wrist,
or ankle weights add extra stress to your joints. If you want to wear them
to intensify your workout, you can keep your risk of injury low by using
weight of less than a pound.

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 What is Aerobic Exercise?
Aerobic Exercise refers to exercise which is of
moderate intensity, undertaken for a long duration.
Aerobic means “with oxygen” and refers to the use
of oxygen in a muscle’s energy-generating process.
Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by
definition are performed at moderate levels of
intensity for extended periods of time.

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An effective aerobic exercise should involve 5-10 minutes of warming up
at an intensity of 50-60% of maximum heart rate, followed by at least 20
minutes of exercise at an intensity of 70-80% of maximum heart rate,
ending with 5-10 minutes of cooling down at an intensity of 50-60% of
maximum heart rate.
The American College Sports Medicine (ACSM) define Aerobic
Exercise as “an activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained
continuously, and is rhythmic in nature.” It is a type of exercise that
overloads the heart and lungs and causes get up and get moving.

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History
Aerobic dance and aerobic exercise were developed by Kenneth H.
Cooper, M.D., an exercise physiologist of the US Air Force. Dr. Cooper, an
avowed exercise enthusiast, was personally and professionally puzzled
about why some people with excellent muscular strength were still
prone to poor performance at tasks such as lond-distance, running,
swimming, and bicycling. He began measuring sustained performance in
terms of ability to utilize oxygen.

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His groundbreaking book, Aerobics, was published in 1969, and included
scientific exercise programs using, walking, swimming, and bicycling. The
book came at fortuitous historical moment, when increasing weakness
and inactivity in the general population was causing a perceived need for
increased exercise. It became a best seller.
Cooper’s data provided the scientific baseline for almost all modern
aerobics programs, most of which are based on oxygen-consumption
equivalency. Activities such as walking, jogging, running, rope jumping,
swimming, bicycling and dancing are considered aerobic in nature if they
are done continuously for a period of approximately 30-45 minutes
(except rope jumping) at least three times a week on alternately days.
Kenneth Cooper (1982) considered the “Father of Aerobics”.

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Benefits of Aerobics Exercise
Kenneth H. Cooper (Tulio 2008) had identified the following benefits from
Aerobics Exercises:

1. Promotes strong and healthy bones;

2. Helps control life’s physical and emotional stresses;
3. Improves intellectual capacity and increases one’s productivity;
4. Aids in the natural way of losing weight and keeping it off;
5. Provides significant protection from heart disease;
6. Promotes better and more effective sleep.

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 Music Assisted Aerobics Exercise
Everyone likes to dance; even the physically impaired likes to do it. There is
fun in dancing although the person who dances does not find any direct
reward of doing it. It is more enjoyable when dancing is done with awareness
that it shapes the body. Aerobic dance combines fun and fat burning. The fact
that it is called dance, it is performed in accordance to a musical tune. Many
aerobic dances use disco music, jazz and ballet. Aerobic dance is performed
according to three levels or classes. These classes are; low impact,
intermediate, and advance. The low impact has a slower pace which makes it
easy to perform. This class is not well active and not enough to develop heart
and lungs which make it fit for the beginners in aerobic. In the intermediate
class, performers could then improve the feat of the heart and lungs. They
could gain over all strength and flexibility. The advanced or high impact
aerobics class fits to the people who desire for more challenging physical
activities or those men who hard work.

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Overused muscles would increase risk of the performers.
Concrete or tiled floors are not good for high impact
aerobics. Soft floor may also cause ankle sprains. Sticky
or sick floors are also dangerous. Hardwood or cushioned
floor would be better. For clothing lightweight would
allow movements. Shoes that slide on the floor and
would support cushioning of the feet are also better.
Carrying a weight of less than a pound would not pose
risk if a performer would like to intensify the workout. It
is choreographed; it means that exercise is conducted
with steps that follow the beat of music. This type of
exercise is known throughout the world where body
building is concerned. Dance aerobic towered above all
the other style of conducting exercises. These are some
groups who even call it “jazzercise”. 10
• It was only in the most recent time when aerobic enthusiasts found more
fulfillment and success in a routine movement which are athletic in nature.
Although music is still being used yet the movements are athletic in form. One
could take boxing in an exercise with music. Taekwondo at the same time is also
taken as aerobic exercise following the rock music because of its fast beating
instead of the traditional jazzercise with complicated movements. Many sport
instructors are developing their own choreographed exercise. Particular team has
its own particular exercise designed only for the team. Instructor designing the
exercise for their respective team consider primarily the steps that lessen injuries
yet give impact to the athlete’s condition. As suggested, in the low level aerobics
consider the steps that do not take both feet of the ground at the same time.
Imbalance in landing are usual occurrences hence injuries are possible.
Knowledgeable instructors who are designing the exercises must know some
alternative movements to avoid injuries. The high level aerobic demands the
participants a high intensity workout to reach and maintain the required heart
rate. Movements that allow one foot on the ground at all times would help
participant to meet the intensity. However, this kind of movement poses risk to
the performers. Good aerobic shoes and a good aerobic floor would not be the
sole solutions to protect the athletes. These items could help lessen the injuries.
To reiterate floors, and floors with covering are the worst. Floors made of
hardwood are better.
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A combination of the high and low impact
movements is now a popular aerobics class. In
practice the low impact movements are used as
warm up and the cool down activities. In the
actual workout students could vary their activities
depending on their endurance and capability. If
routines turn very complicated and intense that
students could no longer catch up, they could
stay for a few moments until comfort is regained
then they could rejoin the workout. Fitness
experts suggest studying the movements and
combinations so as the self-made one eventually
come up.
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Today music with accompanied exercises are very
popular. In fact, there are regular TV programs which
direct the viewers to do the aerobic exercises at
home. Although it is found effective to the
practitioners who are confined in their houses as
circumstance could not let them go out, the other
important fiber of socialization through exercise is
then suffered. Anyone can go to venues where
aerobic exercises are conducted. Movements induced
by the beating of music with a company of friends are
like a single stone hitting two birds at the same time.
It helps shape the body, and helps create new friends.

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Movements for routine exercises could be
developed and performed without equipment.
As already said, study the movements and
combinations, then create your own variations.
Following are movements for locomotor and
axial.

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Locomotor Movements
= These are movements where the body travels through space
from one location to another. Locomotor movements primarity
use the feet for support however, the body can travel on other
parts such as the hands and feet. Even Rhythm.

NON-Locomotor Movements
= These are movements that occur in the body parts or the
whole body and do not cause the body to travel to another
space.  However, non locomotor movements can be combined
with locomotor movements such as a walk and arm swing.

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 LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENT
EVEN RHYTHM
Walk - The walk is a transfer of weight from one foot to the other. 
Usually the heel touches first.
Run - The run is a transfer of weight from one foot to the other however,
the body is propelled into the air and suspended between run steps.
Jump - The jump required the body to push off from one or both feet.
Most common is a two foot take off and two foot landing.  A jump can
take off on one foot and land on two or take off from two feet and land
one one foot.
Hop - The hop requires a push-off from one foot and landing on the
same foot.
Leap - A leap is performed by pushing off from one foot and landing on
the other foot. The body is suspended in the and between the push off
and the landing. Can be combined with a run or walk.
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Uneven Rhythm
Skip - A combination of a step and a hop on the same
foot followed by a step and hop on the other foot. The
rhythm is uneven long -short.  Long (the step) and
short (the hop).
Gallop - A forward movement where one foot leads
the gallop while the other foot follows. The lead foot
steps with a bent knee and pushes off into the air and
landing on the trailing foot. The rhythm is uneven,
long -short. Long (the step) and short (the landing).
Slide - Is similar to a gallop performed with the right or
left foot leading. The rhythm is uneven, long -short.  
Long (the step) and short (the landing).
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 Non Locomotor  movement
Swing - a pendular motion of a body part that can move
forward and backward or side to side.
Twist - a partial rotation of body parts around an axis
Turn - a full rotation of the body around a vertical or
horizontal axis.  Full, half or quarter turns
Shake  - a short quick vibrating movement in a body part
or the whole body.
Bend - a flex of a body part at a joint
Stretch - extending a body part or the whole body
Wiggle - a small or big, fast or slow curvy movement of a
body part or the whole body.
Rock or sway - shift of the body weight forward, backward,
side to side or in a circular pathway.
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 Axial Movements
• Stretch your arms from the direction of the shoulders then make a
circling movement of your hands. Repeat the circling clockwise and
counterclockwise.
• With closed fists thrust your arms sideward, forward and upward
alternately. Do a number of repetitions?
• Bend your elbow and put on your hands to your chest. Push your right
elbow sideward and left elbow also sideward.
• Put your knees slightly apart, then your waist twists your body to the left
while at the same time you swing your hands from left to right. It is a
repetition of twist to the right and swing of arms to the left. Repetitions
are done by changing left and right moves.
• Twist your right hip with your elbow touching it. Repeat the same activity
with your left hip and left elbow. Do the repetition as many as you can or
as you desire?

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 Suggested Movements for Dance Steps
• Marching according to the beat of music. Lift your right knee as high as you can, then drop it
on the ground. Do the same with the left as you walk forward marching.
• For two times lift one your knees while the other foot remains flat on the ground. Repeat
the activity in a number of times.
• Cross your legs with your resting on the waist stand with feet apart from each other. Cross
your left foot at the back of your right leg; do the repetition for a number of times. This
activity is also called grapevine.
• Press your heel, extend your right foot and press its heel to the floor. Give in your weight to
the other foot.
• In an arm akimbo stand straight then slowly lift one of your feet and bend it forward. Make
a number of repetitions in a quite long duration.
• Stand with feet slightly apart; bend your knee and curl it as you can until its heel touches
your buttocks. The bent knee should align with your hips. Put your weight on your other
foot.
• Extend your right foot sideward, give in your weight to your left leg then slowly twist the
upper part of your body while toe of the left foot is touching the floor as heel of the same
foot is up. Repeat on the other foot.
• Stand with one foot forward, and then twist your body forward and backward for a number
of times.
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Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart.
-Gene Tunney

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 ACTIVITY 1 – ESSAY

How does Aerobics Exercise give benefits to

one’s lifestyle?

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 QUIZ

Answer the quiz posted in your LMS.

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 SLOGAN ABOUT AEROBIC EXERCISE
ACTIVITY NO. 2
S.Y. 2020 – 2021
NAME: _________________YEAR/SEC.:__________________ AGE:_______
SCHOOL: ________________BIRTHDAY:__________________ SEX:_______

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 ZUMBA-HAY
ACTIVITY 3
S.Y. 2020 – 2021

Direction: Record your Zumba session which last a minimum of 5

minutes and with a maximum of 8 minutes.

You can copy a music or create your own, provided not to imitate
the steps.
Participation of Family member will given a higher grade.

After making your zumba session work out, send to your Classroom
President or Secretary and they are the one to send it to me.

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Your Zumba session should be conducted only to your
respective Houses.

Going outside to make your video is not allowed as we

observe Health Protocol.

Final submission of Zumba session is before the FINAL

EXAM

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