The Benefits of Step
Benefit #1: Cardiovascular Health
1 hour of step aerobics is roughly equal to running 7 miles. We don’t mean jogging 7 miles, we mean running 7 miles at a very fast pace. Step Aerobics is a fantastic way to get both your lungs and your heart to work at an increased rate.
Benefit #2: Musculoskeletal Health
Your musculoskeletal health has to do with the density and strength of your bones, hence the word skeletal being present. In other words, doing step aerobics can increase your bone health and ward off problems in the future.
Step aerobics is a weight bearing exercise, the type of exercise which is best for increasing bone mass and bone density. This is because weight bearing exercises such as stepping up and down like with step aerobics forces your bones to generate more mass.
Benefit #3: Step Aerobics Is Low Impact.
Low impact exercises are defined as those which make you keep 1 foot on the ground at all times, therefore lowering the stress and impact on your joints. One convenient thing about step aerobics is that it can actually come in the form of both a high impact and low impact exercise. You can engage in moderate step aerobics which is classified as low impact or you can step things up, make your routine more intense, and turn your step aerobics routine into a high impact affair.
Benefit #4: Weight Loss
One of the biggest benefits that you can get from doing step aerobics is that it will help you lose a ton of weight. Since step aerobics is a form of cardiovascular exercise and weight bearing exercise, the number of calories that you burn with a good routine is outstanding. Step aerobics burns a lot of calories, thus keeping them off of your belly and waistline. Plus if you burn more calories than you consume, you will also burn off existing fat.
Benefit #5: Mental Health
A really great part about step aerobics is that it can help increase your mental health. Exercise of any form including step aerobics causes your brain to release chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins are the things which make you feel happy, give you a sense of elation, and make you feel more satisfied with everything.
Benefit #6: Leg Strength
Since step aerobics involves using your legs for the vast majority of the routine, your leg strength will greatly benefit from them. One of the reasons as to why it is so great for your leg muscles is because step ups are a unilateral movement. This means that doing a step up forces you to exercise each leg separately, thus increasing your single-legged balance and the ability to use each leg separately. Step aerobics will tone your muscles and definitely make your glutes look better too.
Benefit #7: More Efficient Metabolic Rate
Another benefit to be had from engaging in step aerobics and other forms of cardiovascular exercise is that your metabolism will increase drastically. Your metabolism functions by producing proteins which break down fats in your body. These proteins break down both the calories that you ingest as well as the fat which is already stored on your body.
Benefit #8: Step Aerobics Is Versatile
The final benefit of step aerobics that we want to talk about has to do with the fact that it is very versatile. First of all, people of all fitness levels can engage in step aerobics because it can easily be modified. Beginners can go slow and not have the stepping level up too high or fitness experts can go full speed and elevate the stepping platform as high as possible.
Step aerobics is also very versatile because you can do it virtually anywhere. With a stepper, a ledge, or a sturdy box, you can engage in step aerobics pretty much wherever you want. It can be done in your home, at the gym, on the sidewalk, or in a park as well. This type of exercise is also great because it is very cheap. Sure you can buy a stepper to use, but you can also use something as simple as the stairs in your home, thus making it very cost efficient. The other great part about step aerobics is that it is very easy to do. Not to mention that you can do these exercises by yourself or you can take a class too.