# do aerobics in a closet, if need be.



## credee (Aug 17, 2013)

I've been doing stairstep aerobics, (altho I've had "gaps" of a year or so, several times) for 20 years now. They have built up my calves tremendously, and your calves help your heart return the blood from your feet. 

I use 6" tall plastic crates. You can stack them to suit your height and level of fitness. Put a 3/4" or thicker, ft square pc of plywood, fiberboard, OSB, (particle board is a bit weak for this job) on top of the crates, so you don't "bust thru" the plastic with your weight. Even so, keep your heels on the edge of the crate when you step up. Have a towel or rag atop and under the board, so that you don't get splinters from its edge and so that it won't slip, not even a little bit, as that can cause you to lose your balance.

Be certain to wear arch- and-ankle supporting, non-slip shoes when you do this stairstepping, and also have a pad where you step down. A 'non slip" pad, not on waxed floors, folks, ok? Dont have anything around you that could hurt you if you fall, and DO have a wall or handrail that you can touch for balance. Do NOT do let your eyes go shut as you stairstep, or exercise it in front of a glass window, ok? You CAN trip yourself or stagger backwards after stepping off of the block, so beware! The idea is to improve your health, not endanger yourself.

Stop to catch your heartrate every 10 minutes, and adjust the stepping rate accordingly. So you have to start with a 3" tall step,and can only do 10 steps per minute, for 15 minutes, as you hang onto a rail, so what? Keep working at it. 15 minutes is mostly considered the minimum amount of time that you can use to have a benefit for your heart and lungs.

I like this because I can stand right in front of the AC vent, watch tv, listen to music, etc. It IS boring. You must count each step, and do 30 minutes, while keeping my heart rate at 80-90% of my max. 20 years ago, I worked up to being able to do 36 steps per minute, for the half hour on a 16" step. Now, at age 61, I've had to cut back to 20 per minute, and I HATE it.  You'll also need an old sweep hand clock, so that you are doing every few seconds of each minute, and slow down or speed up as needed to maintain your steps per minute rate.

Your max safe heart rate is your age subtracted from 220. If you are 20, the max is 200. if you are 60, it's 160. you should not exercise at over 90% of your max, because enlarging your heart is dangerous for you later in life. you DO have to work out at 65% or more of your max, tho, to have a training effect on your heart and lungs.

You can't catch your heart rate while moving. So stop, but only for 6 seconds, while you check your bpm, beats per minute. Then multiply the result by 10, and that's your exercising heart rate. If you stop longer, your pulse will drop, you'll get a false "reading" of your exercising heartrate, and you'll end up exercising too hard. 

When you first wake up, dont even sit up, your heart rate should be about 50 beats per minute. once you stand up, it might go as high as 60, if you are fit.If your rate is higher, sorry, but you aint very fit. Young marathon racers have resting hearbeats under 40 bpm, and they don't go up very high when they are running, either. But such folks run the risk of enlarging their hearts, too.

You need to grab a swallor of Gatorade (or some similar fluid) every 5 minutes or so as you do this, and when you stop, do NOT just go sit or lie down, folks. Instead, walk around, even if you have to pace back and forth in a small room, for 5 minutes or so. This "warmdown" is even more important of you are older, badly overweight, have trouble breathing, or have not exercised in a long while. 

As always, if you are over 40 or so, get a dr's ok before beginning a "program" of exercize, and take it EASY. Nobody will care how long it took you to get to "x" level of fitness, but you WILL care if you hurt yourself! So check your heartrate often, and if it's over 90% of your max, slow WAY down for 10 minutes, and then check it again. You should never have to sweat heavily, or breathe hard, while you do aerobics. If you do, slow down on the steps per minute.


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