Healthy » Heart and Cardio

Why is Zumba so popular?

Health Guru — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:36:29 +0000

What makes this new trend of fitness so popular among health enthusiasts? How effective is this exercise in keeping your body in shape and healthy? Zumba turns the usual exercise routine into an exciting and dynamic fitness program with the fusion of dancing in the tunes of international and Latin rhythms. The steps are very easy to learn that even non-dancers will effortlessly sway into the music and routine. It is one of the easiest ways to tone your body and sustain that perfect shape. That is why Zumba DVDs and programs are very popular in the fitness business nowadays.

An hour of calorie burning and heart pumping moves provide followers of this workout long-term health benefits that will keep you hooked and coming back for more. The entire body is toned with the use of interval and resistance training. The abs, arms, gluts, legs and heart are the areas to which this exercise is focused on. Aside from its physical effects, it is also a new way of relaxing the mind and soul.

Zumba fitness is an exercise routine that suits all ages. Kids, adults and senior citizens alike will surely find it an exhilarating way to be healthy and stay healthy. People are often afraid to try Zumba because of the thought that it is a fast paced exercise. But there are different levels of Zumba that will be tailor fitted to go with your needs. For starters, you can take it slow with Zumba gold. For the moderate level is the Zumba Basic while an intense workout is classified to the Zumba toning.

The dance steps introduced to Zumba followers vary from instructor to instructor. But basically, simple steps from Latin dances of cha-cha, meringue, flamenco, mambo and salsa accompanied by International dance moves of belly dancing and hip-hop comprise every routine of this work-out. Once you start doing the Zumba fitness program, you’ll not notice how much you have moved and exercised your body since you’ll get hooked on the fun and enjoyment you feel while exercising and learning how to dance.

Try out Zumba fitness at your local gym or DVDs and zoom your way to health and happiness!

What is Zumba Dance?

Health Guru — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:15:57 +0000

To move fast and have fun- these are the words that clearly define the Colombian term Zumba. But this is not just an ordinary routine. It is a blend of enjoyable upbeat Latin music and cardiovascular exercises with simple steps of aerobic dancing that truly motivates people to utilize this fitness program.

It was on the 1990’s that the celebrity trainer “Beto” Perez of South America discovered the use of upbeat Latin music during his aerobic class. He forgot to bring the traditional aerobics music to his class one day and he was challenged to improvise on the rhythms which were available at the moment: Latin salasa and Merengue music. It was then that the Zumba dance was born and became a radical concept in the realm of fitness programs. Through the years, the idea of doing a healthy dance exercise was introduced and patronized all over the world.

People believe that Zumba is a dance class. But it isn’t. It is a workout with Latin dance steps that you could also learn and enjoy. The exercise usually uses basic dance steps of Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha, Merengue and many more. This might seem dreadful to people with two left foot but it isn’t that difficult to learn and implement at all. You can even just dance into the music and sweat it all out if you find it hard to really follow the steps. But of course, you’d be missing out the real the goal of the workout which are toning your body and burning fats.

In contemporary times, the Zumba dance has been improved for some modern twist. A zest of rock and roll and belly dancing tunes were added to the Latin music to make the program more appealing and enjoyable to the people. An hour of workout is estimated to burn about 500-850 calories. People who want to lose weight will truly achieve that perfect shape when a balanced nutritional diet is adjunct to the Zumba workout.

With this routine, Zumba is an excellent way to keep your body fit and healthy and likewise a relaxation technique that will relieve you from your stress. Getting ready for the exercise, you just need to wear comfortable attire and shoes, bring towel and plenty of water and lastly a fun attitude for you to make the most out of this fitness program.

Stroke

Health Guru — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:18:51 +0000

Background:

Stroke is the second biggest killer in Australia, after coronary heart disease. A stroke occurs somewhere in Australia every 10 minutes; 60,000 strokes will occur each year.

It is a mistake to refer to stroke as an accident, because almost always the underlying condition that causes stroke – cerebrovascular disease – is present for several years.

A stroke occurs when supply of blood to the brain is suddenly disrupted. Blood, which is normally carried to the brain by arteries, may not be able to get through because of blood clot, plaque buildup or a burst or broken artery.

Brain cells in the immediate area of the stroke are killed, and this can lead to severe disability for the sufferer. Inability to talk properly or use certain muscles is a common result.

Treatment:

Stroke is always a medical emergency and the sufferer needs to be taken to hospital with a Stroke Unit straight away.

The National Stroke Foundation recommends the FAST test to identify stroke.

F – facial weakness – can the person smile, or have their eyes and mouth drooped?
A – arm weakness – can the person raise both their arms?
S – speech difficulty – can the person speak clearly and understand what you are saying?
T – time to act – call 000 immediately

When the patient arrives in hospital, he or she will be treated with Tissue Plasminogen Activator, a drug that breaks down blood clots.

This is normally administered after a CT scan has confirmed the type of stroke.

Another treatment option is aspirin, but that is only recommended for ischaemic strokes (those caused by blood clots).

Prevention:

Lifestyle factors are very big when it comes to your chances of having a stroke.

By not smoking, not drinking alcohol (or not drinking very much), eating healthy foods and remaining physically active, you will greatly lower your risk of having a stroke.

Diabetes can also factor in, so make sure you talk to your doctor about it if you are a diabetic.

If you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you need to deal with these immediately to reduce your chances of stroke.

Lowering your blood pressure

Health Guru — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:41:46 +0000

High blood pressure is a potentially dangerous condition that unfortunately affects many people at some stage of their lives.

The first path of treatment you should look into is to confer with your doctor, who may prescribe a course of medication to help lower your blood pressure.

But you will be pleased to learn that in addition to taking medication there are a number of other things you can do to make headway into the problem.

The first target to aim for is arriving at a healthy weight. Simply put, the heavier you are the more likely you are to have high blood pressure.

There are plenty of good indicators available as to what your healthy weight range is, the foremost being the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI looks at your age, sex and height and uses these to recommend a target weight.

Ensure that exercise is part of your daily lifestyle. Even if you can only do a little walking (or cycling or skipping or something along those lines), it is much better than doing nothing. People that spend all day behind a desk and then go straight home to bed are the most at risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure.

Look to change your diet. Cut out salt and sodium completely.

Think of ways to relax and set aside time for relaxation. Stress is known to increase blood pressure, so make things easier on yourself and arrange some calming down time.