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What Is Prancercise? How Effective Is Prancercise?

Date: Jun-02-2013
Prancercise is a 1980s horse-like exercise for humans which has hit the headlines worldwide after Joanna Rohrback recently released a video online. So far, the Prancercise YouTube video has hit over 2 million views.

Rohrback says that the Prancercise form of movement, combined with a careful diet and spiritual principles can create the most holistic, satisfying and successful fitness program you could ever hope to experience.

On the official Prancercise website, Rohrback defines Prancersize as "A springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse's gait and ideally induced by elation".

Rohrback says:

"I encourage anyone who is ready for a huge change in their lives, from the way they see the world, to the way they see themselves to explore the principles inherent in this program, especially as outlined in my book : Prancercise®:The Art of Physical and Spiritual Excellence."

According to the official website, the Prancercise program is about freeing yourself from the fitness chains, meaning:
Not being tied down to monotonous routines in health clubs and gyms

- being yourself, rather than trying to copy others in an ape-like manner, so that you can fulfill your own sense of self expression

- playing instead of "working out", bringing out the inner child within you and feeling like a free-spirited kid again

- exercising in a natural environment, getting back to nature, not being confined to artificial, germ-infested environments

Breaking away from food addictions that keep us in a cycle of overweight/obesity - avoiding foods that make us want to eat all day, rather than satiating our appetite

Imagining yourself as a beautiful animal (horse) - an animal that is a symbol of strength, endurance and beauty, ridding yourself of any negative images you may currently have of yourself. Striving to be the best YOU that you can be

Moving your body to your favorite tunes - in your own natural environment . . . . having fun. Doing your own things, moving your own moves
Diet for good health
Rohrback believes that a diet that is as close to a vegetarian/vegan one as possible leads to ideal long-term health. This means:
no meat
no dairy
low salt (sodium) intake
no saturated or hydrogenated fats
as little sugar as you can manage
preferably no processed foods - foods with additives that are not in their original form where their nutrients have been destroyed from high temperatures and over-processing
lots of pure water

Rohrback says her diet consists mostly of raw vegetables and fruit, some cooked beans, sometimes whole grain bread, and small amounts of salmon. It is important to get plenty of fatty acids (omega oils) as well as olive oil.

Rohrback said:

I drink very little else besides water, small amounts of pure juice occasionally. Adding a squeeze of pure lemon or lime juice to the water is very cleansing for the body if this citrus water in small quantities is drunk during and after a meal it's very cleansing for your teeth and mouth as well as the liver. . ."

Rohrback describes her diet as "anti-inflammatory" to the body, and not unlike a horse's diet. However, she recognizes that horses do not eat salmon. She likes to feel light and spring off the ground like an antelope. For many reasons, including ethical ones, people should consider a vegetarian/vegan diet, the adds.
What about the exercise?
There is the:
Prancercise Trot
Prancercise Gallop
Prancercise Box (also known as Shadow-Box Prance)
In all three styles exercisers are asked to imagine themselves as a horse while they do their moves.

CBS News quoted Charles Plaktin who said Prancercise is similar to the 1980s workout videos that focused on low-impact aerobics. Prof Plaktin is a specialist in exercise and calorie-expenditure research, he works at CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, New York City. After reviewing the YouTube video, he calculated that Prancercise burns approximately 4.2 calories per minute - the equivalent of walking slowly while you carry something. The Prancercise Trot burns about 5.2 calories per minute, and the Prancercise Gallop about 5.86 calories per minute.

Brisk walking, at 7.6 calories per minute, burns more calories than Prancercise.

Plaktin said that the biggest problem with any exercise program is sticking to it long-term. He believes that the combination of exercise and spirituality is likely to help people stick to Prancercise.

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reported in PLoS that just 12 minutes of exercise each week is enough to stay fit. They explained that four-minute bursts of physical activity, done three times a week, can raise oxygen intake levels as well as reduce blood pressure and glucose levels.

Written by Christian Nordqvist

Copyright: Medical News Today

Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Courtesy: Medical News Today
Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.