Exercise is one of the most important factors in helping maintain a healthy body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all American adults get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. Since the 1980s, exercise videos have been a popular option for helping obtain these weekly exercise goals. One popular video is the Callanetics program.
History
The Callanetics exercise program was started in the 1980s by a woman named Callan Pinckney. Pinckney claims to have developed the Callanetics program out of a personal physical need to address her problems with scoliosis and swayback. She began as a private teacher of the program and continued to develop Callanetics until the release of her first exercise video, "Ten Years Younger In Ten Hours," in 1986. The program soon became one of the most popular exercise programs on the market and continues to sell, alongside the newer CallaneticsEvolution and CardioCallanetics DVDs.
Methods
Callanetics is a combination of strength training and aerobic exercises. Instead of focusing on large muscular movements, as with with running or weight lifting, Callanetics focuses on using frequent repetitions with smaller muscle movements and squeezing in order to strengthen and tone the muscles of your body.
Benefits
Callanetics may benefit those who are unable to endure more intensive strength training and aerobics routines that impact the joints of the body, especially the knees, ankles, shoulders and wrists. Using a Callanetics video acts as an aerobic workout as well. Aerobic activity benefits the body by strengthening the heart, helping maintain weight, and helping reduce the risks of certain diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and even some forms of cancer, reports MayoClinic.com.
Safety
Before starting any exercise program, including Callanetics, you should meet with your doctor to ensure that you are healthy enough to meet the physical requirements of the exercise. If at any point during the Callanetics program you feel pain, light-headedness, dizziness or nausea, stop exercising or reduce your overall intensity until the pain subsides.
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