Group Fitness

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The purpose of going to the gym is universal for everyone: attain positive results. The lack of options at the gym can be a factor which discourages consumers from attending regularly. Now, there are hundreds of different ways to work out. Scientists have researched the possibilities, and have realized group fitness is a very effective form of exercise. The idea that exercising in a group creates life changing results has provided the foundation for many major fitness companies: Les Mills™, Zumba®, and POUND® to name a few. Group fitness provides the opportunity for participants to experience major health benefits: lowering the risk of disease, increasing strength, and easing the mind of stress all through structured workouts.
Age is a determining …show more content…

The study consisted of three groups: control group (no regular exercise), CXWORX™ group (one class per week, in addition to any other exercise the participant chose to do), and the health-enhancement group (1-3 exercisers exercising at least twice per week). CXWORX™ is a group fitness class by Les Mills™, focusing on core strength. The Perceived Stress Scale--commonly used instrument to assess stress--determined the stress levels throughout the study. Quality of life surveys were administered to test the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of health. After 12 weeks, the results concluded that the group fitness group was most successful in lowering stress levels according to the Perceived Stress Scale. That group also showed an increase in quality of life through the physical, emotional, and mental surveys compared with the other two groups in the study (Yorks). Participating in group fitness can ease the mind of stress, reducing complications that may be caused as a result of excess …show more content…

In reality, exercising can be a preventative measure significant to decreasing the risk of many fatal diseases. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of death for many Americans. Decreasing the risk of contracting the disease means decreasing the amount of total body fat mass, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides. Increasing maximal oxygen consumption, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) also help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. Using group fitness classes, a study was performed to determine if the exercises could decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by decreasing the amounts of causing factors of the disease. The 25 participants in the study were healthy, but were living sedentary lifestyles. The study started with a 6-week introduction period, which transitioned into two, 12-week periods of six to seven Les Mills™ classes per week. The first period of the study instructed participants to choose three cardiorespiratory classes; the second period of the study increased the amount to four cardiorespiratory classes. At the conclusion of the 30-week study, the lab results of the participants showed a decrease in body fat mass, LDL-C, and triglycerides; along with an increase in HDL-C, and maximal oxygen consumption (Gotschall). All results were positive in concluding that group fitness classes decreased the

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