(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) At 58 John Graham barely knew a thing or two about dance. If asked he'd confess that he was highly 'uncoordinated and wouldn't be able to match steps with the rhythm'.

But over the last couple of months Graham has been watching his dance moves closely in the full-length mirrors that adorn the wall at his gym. For a change he seems to be enjoying swinging his feet and swaying his hands caring little about coordination.

The high-on-energy Bollywood music that he has been grooving to could have had something to do with it but burning calories was the initial draw he claimed.

Graham and his wife both 'reluctant dancers' are among the many fitness enthusiasts who have taken a liking to what they describe as a 'fun cardio-workout' called the aerodance to stay healthy and on top of their game. It's like aerobics and yet not said Graham.

Involving a combination of free-style movements inspired from Jazz Zumba Salsa and Arabic dance forms among others the hour-long exercise regime which is performed to popular Bollywood tracks is drawing the attention of both the young and old who want to break away from the regular diet of cardio and aerobic routines.

'Working out on the treadmill and the cycle can get boring' said Smina al Mahrooqi who is in her 30s and a regular at the aerodance class for the last eight months.

Shedding her inhibitions about whether she was cut out for dance was the start. 'I have always wanted to dance but lacked the courage. But the energy levels in this class are so high you just get convinced that it's the best thing to keep you in shape' admitted Smina adding that 'learning new dance steps especially the Bollywood moves' was inviting enough.

'Dancing can be both liberating and de-stressing' said aerodance instructor and master choreographer Muhammad Aleem Khan who first introduced the class in Muscat at the Balance Health and Fitness Centre Qurm adding 'This is why aerodance works; it is basically a combination of aerobics and different dance styles set to music. But the choreography is intended to target core muscle groups. As trainers we know which muscles need to be worked upon to burn fat so we incorporate dance steps that will work on those particular muscles.'

According to Khan Bollywood music is best suited for the workout because it is freestyle just like the dance moves. 'It's also the most popular music across nationalities so though some students don't understand the lyrics they enjoy it nonetheless because they've definitely heard it before' he said.

Generally an aerodance class is around 45 minutes long but the one designed by Khan a certified trainer from Fitness Champion Malaysia who has also registered his aerodance choreography with the same organisation lasts for around an hour.

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Aerobics, Bollywood style

MOUNT VERNON -- The Rend Lake Marketplace will offer a variety of general education courses, aerobics classes, computer workshops and improvement programs this fall.

Most general education courses start this week and continue through early December. Courses include calculus and analytic geometry, integrated reading and writing, medical terminology EMT basic, EMT paramedic, psychology, phlebotomy and food sanitation.

Seven computer classes also begin this week, including computer basics, Excel for beginners, intermediate-level Excel, advanced Excel, Quickbooks for beginners, Word for beginners and Access for beginners.

Two spinning aerobics and zumba classes will also be offered this fall. Access to exercise equipment is $80 for the semester, and aerobics courses are an extra $5.

For more information, call618-437-5321.

-- The Southern

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RLC Marketplace hosting variety of classes this fall

GEORGE TOWN: He is not a politician, he is not a rich man but he draws hundreds to see him five days a week in Penang.

He is Jeorge Subramaniam and he is known as the one person who can get many to sweat it out. He conducts regular aerobics sessions at the Penang Municipal Park.

He is doing good for the people and indirectly for the good of this country, wrote Carolina Tan to The Star.

Tan wrote in 2008 that Jeorges twice weekly sessions at the park, formerly known as the Youth Park, brought together hundreds of people from different races and hoped that he would carry on his good work in promoting goodwill among the various races while also improving their health.

Jeorge, 66, has done more than that. He expanded his aerobics classes to the New World Park the same year besides maintaining the one at Medan Mayang Pasir in Bayan Baru, which he started in the late 1990s.

His classes continue to attract people of different races, many of whom have found new friendships with other participants.

Housewife Norlaila Ismail, 51, said she had followed Jeorges aerobics sessions for the past 20 years and found him to be someone who is generous in his commitment.

He never expects anything in return and welcomes everyone to join him, regardless of age and race, to lead a healthy life, she said, adding that her husband and three grown-up children also joined in whenever they are free.

She said she had also made many good friends from various races who are also regulars at the classes.

Why do we need to spend so much on gyms when we can follow this easy and fun yet effective activity, she added.

Excerpt from:
Penangites regular aerobics sessions bring hundreds together to keep fit

Sue Asher has been helping the senior citizens in town keep fit for the past 26 years by leading summer weekly aqua aerobics classes at Cooper Pool.

"Once again we are back doing the aqua aerobics with my senior family," she said. "We have 20 ladies and several ladies have medical conditions that usually attend the class but cant this year. Class starts at 10:45 but between 10:30 and 10:45 we catch up on things that are happening in the town, happening with the senior citizens and it is our social time. Then we do our exercises and work hard," said Ms. Asher.

Ms. Asher and her group meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for eight weeks from 10:30 a.m. to noon. They work on strengthening their arms, legs and body muscles while in the water. The ladies start by getting used to the water, bobbing up and down, do cross country, rocking forward and backwards, and exercises on the wall with their legs, arms and with bar bells. More exercises include kicking with the knees straight and toes pointed, bicycling, arm circles and shoulder rolls.

The program remains the same starting at the feet and working the way up their body.

According to Ms. Asher, aqua aerobics is a great way to loosen up the joints and bones. The water helps with the tension and the exercises give the ladies the opportunity to socialize a bit as well as exercise and work every part of their body legs to neck to keep toned and avoid joint and arthritis problems.

The maximum number of participants in the program is 24 and this year she has 20 ages 56 to 80-plus. Some of the participants have been with Ms. Asher for 25 years. The Cooper pool is heated to 85 degrees during the lessons.

"We are fortunate enough to get a grant from Wal-Mart to provide the refreshments which are orange juice, apple juice and water for each of their sessions," she said.

This years end of classes is fast approaching. "We are ending the program on Aug. 21, which is eight full weeks. I would love to do it longer but unfortunately I need to get into school and prepare for the next school year."

She is hoping that maybe in the future the town would consider building an indoor swimming pool.

"It would be wonderful because, not only can we exercise eight weeks in the summer, we can also exercise all year around. So that will definitely be a goal of mine for the future to have a community/senior center with a built-in swimming pool."

Read more here:
MANVILLE: Susan Asher gets seniors in the swim

Stuttgart, Aug. 13:

Swipe to the left or right or up and down these are gestures that every smartphone owner knows. Other gestures for use on touchscreens or laptop touchpads tend to be known only to advanced users. Heres an overview: The one finger tip and swipe: The one finger movement is the mother of all gestures for touchscreens. With one finger an app is generally started, says Roland Stehle from Germanys Society for Entertainment and Communications Electronics (gfu). The one finger tip gesture is also used to scroll up and down on the screen or to move to the left or right.

The gesture is built on experiences from the real world and the movement therefore seems natural, says Katrin Wolf from the Institute for Visualization and Interactive Systems (VIS) at the University of Stuttgart.

Two finger drag: Its also intuitive to use two fingers for pushing something together or pulling it apart and thats the gesture most commonly used for zooming in and out. Its like kneading clay or dough, says Wolf. Dragging enlarges the dough and compressing it makes it more compact.

Rotation: Making a rotary motion with the finger on a screen or touchpad typically rotates the image or document. With some smartphones the device is rotated instead to achieve the same effect.

Multi-finger swipe: This gesture is available on some touchpads and tablets. From a motor perspective I can use several fingers for more coarse things, says Tom Gross, a professor of human-computer interaction at the University of Bamberg in Germany. The gesture is not used, for example, within an application but to switch between open applications. On a MacBook the four-finger swipe can be used to hide all windows and show the desktop.

User-defined gestures: Users can also define for themselves what a gesture will do, for example using a swipe on the numeric keyboard to unlock the screen. Gross believes the future will see a hybrid form of pre-defined and self-conceived gestures coming to the fore.

Shake: In addition to finger tip touches, swiping and rotating there are gestures that involve the entire hand. For example shaking to make a music player jump to the next track, says Stehle. On other devices its similar to a shake of the head, for example to reject a phone call.

Tilt: This gesture can have different effects. Sometimes it signals zooming in or out. In other cases it can mute the phone if the user puts the device down with the screen facing down, says Stehle.

(This article was published on August 13, 2014)

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Finger aerobics on the screen - touch gestures must be intuitive

SIBU: An aerobics session by Sapphira Fitness Studio will serve as the curtain raiser for The Borneo Post Run on Aug 30 at the Sibu Town Square.

Instructor Ejay Kennedy, 36, said the studio is looking forward to having fun with the runners.

BP Run is the second biggest event weve ever participated in Sibu. Weve been invited to many big events, mostly in Kuching, but seldom in Sibu. So, I think it is going to be exciting, he said of the session scheduled to begin at 7am.

Ejay said the last big event they participated in here was the Sibu Kidney Foundations (SKF) Healthy Living event at Sibu Gateway last year.

For the upcoming session, we will do a slow and moderate workout. Just a 15-minute warm-up before the run, he said, adding the run is a good event to promote fitness and health, while aerobics is a good way to de-stress, promote health and fitness.

One of the amazing things that fitness can do to you is that it doesnt just make you feel younger, but look younger, he said.

The studio was established in 1998 and currently has six certified instructors.

It will celebrate its 16th anniversary at Kingwood Hotel on Aug 30.

It is not easy to reach 16 years. There are many fitness studios and this industry is growing. We are glad that we are able not just to sustain, but to be part of the team to promote fitness and to give services to those who love fitness, he said.

In 2008, the studio won the state level fitness carnival to represent Sarawak at the National Fitness Carnival, where they won in the aerobics category and closed aerobics category.

Read more here:
Mass aerobics curtain raiser for BP Run

Whether it is running, swimming, weight lifting or aerobics, fitness experts say the center of all exercise routines is the core - the abdominal, back and muscles around the pelvis - which is the seat of stability, strength and power.

Adding in exercise routines to strengthen the core can help the runner go faster, the basketball player jump higher and the everyday exerciser more easily do routine tasks from loading the car to cleaning the tub.

"The core is everything except for arms, legs and head," said Daniel Taylor, co-author with Greg Brittenham of the new book "Conditioning to the Core."

It is the mainstay of the body, according to Taylor, who is the head strength and conditioning coach at Siena College in upstate New York.

"People need to get away from saying 'I'm going to do abs today' and take a larger view," said Taylor, whose book contains more than 300 exercises, ranging from planks, squats and lunges to medicine ball and kettlebell throws presented in progressive routines.

"A lot of times people get stuck in one or two routines and get good at them," he said. "You've got to make things more challenging to keep progressing."

Taylor said everything is linked to the core.

"If you jump it's transferred to the core. If you want to be a better recreational running, strengthening the core will help because your anchor is better," he explained.

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Center of all exercise routines is the core: Experts

Aug. 12, 2014, 4 a.m.

WARRNAMBOOL academy EKB Fitness and Aerobics has tuned up for an overseas campaign with yet more success on the national stage.

WARRNAMBOOL academy EKB Fitness and Aerobics has tuned up for an overseas campaign with yet more success on the national stage.

EKB Aerobics gold medal-winning Audacity team members Sophie Bellman (left), Emma Bellman and Aylish Auchettl. 140721DW28 Picture: DAMIAN WHITE

The Kepler Street-based group emerged from School Aerobics national championships on the Gold Coast with four gold and four silver medals.

We had a really successful weekend, I couldnt have asked for much more, coach Emma Bellman said.

Weve got four national titleholders, four silver medallists and a couple in sixth. Everyone was really happy with their rounds, they were fantastic results.

The gold medallists included Bellman, Sophie Bellman and Aylish Auchettl collectively known as Audacity winning the old skool trios section.

Teagan Drake and Tali Morrissey did likewise in the old skool pairs section.

Brianna Kilpatrick earned gold in the future legends solo section, finishing ahead of Bella Wallace (second) and Maddison (sixth)

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Aerobics academy emerges triumphant at national titles