Why you should hang up your running shoes...
Cardio based activities are so 80’s. Back when the fitness industry really started to get some momentum, fitness guru’s believed “cardio” based workouts was what we should be doing. We did group Hi-Lo aerobic dance classes, STEP classes, Kickboxing classes and Boot Camp classes just to mention a few. The running craze hit in the late 70’s and Nike, Reebok and other fitness brands, came to be household words. Hence, the fitness industry was born. We were convinced that doing “cardio” for an hour at a steady state heart rate was the way to perfect health. We bought fitness gear to support our habits. Retail stores that only sell running shoes popped up all over and we couldn’t get enough. Since that time it was discovered there was no research or science behind the information we were fed about fitness. After decades of people thinking that doing “cardio” based workouts was where they should put there exercise time, we have come to find out that the experts were wrong. Current research shows those kinds of activities, over time, tend to cause injuries, wear and tear on our joints and connective tissue issues long term. None of those activities have any sustainability. The risk does not reap the reward.
Today’s fitness experts are singing a new song. Promoting workouts that are focused on strength training. Workouts that are based on interval training are the most effective for fat loss and increased cardio-pulmonary function. The concept of interval training is to work hard for a short period of time. An active recovery follows to slow the system function before the start of a new interval. We are seeing more mind-body connection exercise modalities increase in popularity. As we all know now, this is the exact principle Barre Fitness is based on. Using our own body weight and light dumbbells to create resistance to build strength. Barre is here to stay. It is not a fitness trend, it is a sustainable way to build muscle, decrease body fat and look amazing in your skinny jeans!
Research shows that not only can weightlifting improve your body composition and give you a toned appearance, it can also improve your overall health and make you a happier person. Weightlifting can help you burn fat, reduce your risk of diabetes, prevent back pain and even help you fight depression.
As you age, you naturally lose muscle and bone mass. This is of special concern for women, whose bones are smaller to begin with and can become dangerously weakened by age. Strength training can help fight this. Just as you muscles adapt to the stress of weightlifting by becoming bigger and stronger, your bones also adapt. Dr Ledesma, states, “Anytime your bones perceive stress, the response is that more bone will be deposited”.
Strength training can translate into better performance if you play a sport. It also improves dexterity, endurance and hand-eye coordination, all of which will help you be at the top of your game.
Body awareness, or being able to recruit the proper muscles in the right sequence, is key for moving in a way that is both efficient and safe in daily life, according to fitness expert John Carrico. This is why we focus on technique and form in barre.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly 350 million people have diabetes worldwide and predicts that by 2030, the disease will be the seventh leading cause of death. You probably know that living a healthy lifestyle-including managing your weight, eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and abstaining from tobacco use – can help you prevent becoming a statistic, but you may not know that strength training, specifically, plays a significant role in reducing your risk. Strength training can help regulate blood glucose too.
Reducing back pain by strengthening the muscles of your core, those that support your spine can lessen the discomfort and undo some of the damage caused by sitting all day. One of the best exercises to build strength in the core is planking.
Your body has various smaller muscles call stabilizer muscles. These muscles do exactly what you would think: They help stabilize you. Each time you strength train you’re indirectly targeting those little muscles that help keep you upright and take care of everyday tasks such as balancing on one foot to reach a high shelf or stopping yourself from falling on an icy surface. This is especially important for people as they age.
When you feel stronger physically, you usually feel stronger mentally. Fitness experts say, “strength training teaches you the skill of perseverance, the ability to overcome discomfort and challenge yourself. It teaches you to push yourself when everything tells you to stop, when your muscles start to give out and it burns and it hurts. When we get into those high-intensity situations, we have a choice, we can either stop everything and try to return to our comfort zone, or decide that this level of discomfort is worth the reward. That decision – that it’s worth persisting through that uncomfortable situation – 100 percent contributes to successful situations in other parts of our lives.” It is also in that moment the magic dust falls out of the ceiling!
Lastly, plain and simple, strength training is the best way to get a lean, toned, fit body. This principle is the foundation of our barre method. It will change the shape of your body and it will change your life!
Happy Tucking - See you at the barre!