Butterfly Stretching Exercises for Aerobic Dancing Workouts

Series Summary

The term aerobics, meaning "with air", came from Dr. Kenneth Cooper, of the San Antonio Air Force Hospital. He designated it as the name for the system of exercises he employed to prevent coronary artery disease. It is appropriate nomenclature given that the exercises are designed to condition the lungs to more effectively use oxygen and to strengthen the cardiovascular system. For those who choose to use it, aerobic activity is an important part of fighting heart disease and obesity, as well as increasing energy levels and building overall health and wellness.

Aerobic exercise routines can take many forms. Aerobic dancing is an exercise program that combines elements of dance with traditional aerobic steps and techniques, strength training, and stretching, all set to upbeat music. Instead of exercising in a vacuum, so to speak, aerobic dance takes the approach that workouts should be fun and exciting, using musical rhythms to naturally motivate you, and thus increasing the efficiency of your workout. No, this aerobic training method is not quite Dance Dance Revolution, but the concept is similar; and the benefits of aerobic exercise, in whatever form, are manifold.

Video Transcript

"This is Connie Hale, thanks for joining me here at expertvillage.com. Today, we’re going to be learning some aerobic dance. I’m going to start off with some simple stretches that you should always do before you perform any exercise. Of course, before you take on any type of exercise routine, you want to make sure that you discuss it with your doctor because you never know what little ailments might prevent you from doing certain things. Please, before you start any type of routine, discuss it with your doctor first. Let’s start out with some simple stretches. We start off with what’s just called a simple butterfly. Feet are together, knees are pressed down to the floor. It’s not important to get your feet in as close as you can. What’s important is to get your knees down as far as they can go. Just starting with your butterfly stretch, feet are together. Slide your feet in where you are comfortable; begin to slowly press your knees down. You can use your hands; you can use your elbows. I like to just press my hands down to the floor and stretch them down. Once you start getting your legs stretched, this is stretching the inner thighs right here, we’re going to hold on to the ankles and we’re going to simply lean forward leading with your chest, not your head. Lean forward, beginning to stretch. This is now going to take a deeper stretch into your inner thigh, leaning it down. I’m going to face to the side so you can see your posture here. We’re nice and tall. Leaning with the chest first, leaning forward. You do not want to do this; this is not going to accomplish anything. No curvature in the back. You want to keep it forward, lead forward, leaning down, head is up. You want to picture is bringing your chest to your feet and stretching it out. This is a simple butterfly stretch. Take it a step further, and you can scoop with your nose first down and bring it up, and that’s really going to bring you into a deep stretch. Again, you’re going to scoop nose first, down, and bring it up; it’s just a simple body wave. Alright, that’s your butterfly stretch. "