On The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper, one of the trainers, shared the following information:
"By adding singing to your workout, you breathe more deeply, take in more oxygen, improve your aerobic ability and release muscle tension. Singing, also, tones your abdominal and *intercostal muscles and helps stimulate circulation.
So the next time you work out at home (or in your SilverSneakers class), pick your favorite tune and belt it out for an even more effective total body workout!"
When I heard Bob tell about the benefits of singing, I thought about the SilverSneakers participants at the Midlothian Family Y in Richmond, VA. They love to sing!! You never know when one of them will burst out singing and others will join in! Their wonderful instructors encourage this and sometimes even bring song lyrics to class!
Humming is great, too! Humming helps us to relax and increases airflow to our sinuses, which reduces common allergy symptoms.
If you have a class that enjoys singing, you may want to Google "song lyrics" or the title of a song. You can find the words to just about any song for free! Look at the songs on your cd's. Some of them are fun to sing! My favorites are: This Land is Your Land, What a Wonderful World, You Are My Sunshine & Somewhere Over the Rainbow. You can ask your class for suggestions. Singing can be a part of your relaxation segment, too.
What are your favorite songs to sing?
*"The intercostal muscles are found between the ribs. When proper diaphragmatic breathing is
employed, the intercostal muscles can get a very good workout.
The abdominal muscles are linked with the breath when they are used to "support the breath" or when they stretch as the belly distends due to the action of the diaphragm." From: http://www.singwise.com/
The posting on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies, or opinions.
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