Cardio, cardio, cardio
I had my annual physical yesterday. All looks good so far, though my doctor recommended upping my cardio. It got me thinking how I would fit that in when I’m already at my max on time — not to mention the fact that I box on Saturdays which is about the best cardio I know!
Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t being consigned to an hour on a treadmill or the nordic trak. I’m free to be as creative as I can while accomplishing the benefits in short spurts like climbing stairs in lieu of elevators (where possible), taking a faster pace when I walk and throwing in a few rounds of shadow boxing using my handy iPhone timer app whenever I can! Dancing to three butt-buster songs from YouTube can also do the trick! Or as my husband suggested going back to the idea of an evening “constitutional.”
The point is — once you reach a certain age you are pronounced an official medical grown-up which means it’s all about prevention! And while strength is important for healthy bones, stretching for flexibility and stress reduction, the aerobics are necessary to keep your heart healthy.
Girlboxing 
That class looks right up my latina alley. 🙂 I have never taken a Zumba class. Maybe I should. Thanks for sharing.
I’m with you, the Zumba class looked like fun. I figure if you have to do the work you might as well enjoy it!
I love Zumba, but my ankles no longer love Zumba. I’ve been trying to figure out how to keep moving without jumping and I’ve been cycling a bit. For me, it’s not only about prevention, it’s about the fact that no matter what I do, the metabolism is not the same. Thx!
Hey Nancy! I know what you mean about your metabolism. It seems I am one if “those” women now — menopausal with lots of kilos to spare. Walking fast and shadow boxing seems to work best for me. Yes, there’s some stress on the ankles and knees, but not as much as really fast salsa. 😉
There’s a zumba class just outside my boxing class at the Y. When we’re doing stair runs, I pass those dancing women and cuss them out…
Ha, ha, ha!