Stepping up your health! 7 benefits of Step Aerobics

Copyright @Simona Zaino)
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The Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged people to find new creative ways of exercising and keeping fit while staying at home. 
Step aerobics is a form of exercise that involves stepping up and down onto a stationary block. It seemed to have disappeared in gyms but it has now made its comeback during the pandemic, due to its benefits and the fact it can be practised in a small space. Let's see what the main benefits of Step Aerobics are:
1. It's fun!
Exercise causes your brain to release chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins stimulates good mood and reduce stress and anxiety. The use of upbeat music during the class will also  help energize you!
2. It burns calories
Since step aerobics is a form of cardiovascular exercise and weight bearing exercise, the number of calories that you burn is quite high. On average 45 minute of step aerobics can burn up to 450 calories
3. It helps increases bone density
Weight bearing moves such as stepping up and down force your bones to generate more mass, thus increasing their density, size, and strength
4. It improves your cardiovascular resistance
 Studies show that 1 hour of step aerobics is equal to running about 7 miles. Step Aerobics is a fantastic way to improve the efficiency of both your lungs and your heart. thus reducing the chance of cardiovascular related illness. Aerobic workout also brings more oxygen to your muscles.
5. It improve your balance and increases leg strength
​Stepping up forces you to exercise each leg separately, thus improving your single-legged balance. It also utilizes virtually every muscle in the leg, thus increasing general leg strength.
6. It can be low impact
Step aerobics can be adapted to become low impact exercise. Low impact exercises are those where you keep one foot on the ground at all times, thus reducing the stress on your joints. People who have weak ankles or knees definitely need to engage in low impact exercise.
7. It does not require much space
Step aerobics is also very versatile! You can do it virtually anywhere as it requires very little space. It is the ideal form of exercise during lockdown!

​Author: Simona Zaino
Simona is a qualified Health & Wellness, Nutrition & Life Coach based in Dublin. She teaches Yoga, Pilates and Fitness classes (also online). See:  www.eatdancebreathe.com/services.html