Low-Impact or Nonimpact Aerobics, Part 1

Fitness activities that involve steady, rhythmic motions of your major muscle groups and burn oxygen for more than a brief spurt are considered aerobics. They force your heart and lungs to work at anywhere from 60 to 85 percent of their capacity. Brisk walking or bicycling, for example, are aerobic. So is aerobic dance – informally choreographed routines that combine calisthenics and dance.

Aerobics dance classes became the rage in the early 1980s, but the shock to bones and tendons caused by repeated jumping and bouncing produced a number of injuries. Now, low-impact and nonimpact aerobics have replaced many higher-intensity aerobics workouts. Both are kinder to your skeleton.

Distance Guide for Exercise Goals
Stair Climbing
Peak or Building	Distance	Equivalent*
Mt. Everest	29,028 ft.	49,762 stairs
Mt. Rainier	14,410 ft.
Empire State Building	1,250 ft.
Eiffel Tower	984 ft.
Swimming
Body of Water
English Channel	21 mi.	1,848 laps
Lake Michigan	118 mi.	10,384 laps
Mississippi River	2,348 mi.	206,624 laps
Atlantic Ocean	4,150 mi.	365,200 laps
Walking/Jogging/Cycling
Route
New York	831 mi.
Boston to Seattle	3,123 mi.
Miami to San Francisco	3,147 mi.
Great Wall of China	3,950 mi.

* One stair equals approximately 7 inches. One lap equals 60 feet; 88 laps equal 1 mile. Check the length of your swimming pool.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com