Dancing has always been a popular pastime but with the dance TV shows and great dance inspired movies becoming a mainstream event, joining a dance class has never been more fun and it is great for fitness too!
When you watch the stars dancing, it looks elegant, and fun but it takes hard work and dedication to develop the skills for you to be a great dance, but that does not mean you don’t get to have fun along the way. It is also a fun and energetic way for children and adults to keep moving and stay fit and healthy in body and mind.
Dancing for Fitness
Dancing is a brilliant way to shed the calories that we acquire from our food and don’t always run off during our normal daily activities. Dancing increases the circulation, making our whole system operate more efficiently and it is estimated that some dances can burn 5-10 calories per minute!
All that dancing around also has a positive effect on bones and joints. It can help stave off conditions such as osteoporosis and lowers levels of oestrogen in post-menopause women. This is a good thing because oestrogen prevents bones from absorbing calcium and this in turn causes them to weaken.
Dancing is about movement and to be successful, you need to work on your balancing. While this makes you a better dancer, it also helps to strength muscles and to get the central nervous system working properly. It can even help reduce the risk of heart conditions as it encourages the efficiency operation of the cardiovascular system.
Mental as well as physical benefits
The physical benefits to dancing are substantial and there are also mental benefits to dancing that may be a little more surprising. For instance, learning a dance can help boost memory as we get older. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise prevents and even reverses the volume loss in the part of the brain that controls memory, the hippocampus. This loss is often to blame for conditions such as impaired memory and even dementia in some cases.
Stress reduction is an important thing at any stage in life and taking up dancing is a great way to do this. By putting aside your problems and involving yourself in the dance you can relieve your stress and enjoy yourself. The calm that you find from this can help you deal with stress during your daily life better as well.
Dancing is fun!
Finally, let’s not forget that dancing is fun! You can meet new people or develop a new shared interest with someone already in your life. It is a social activity and a good reason to get out of the house, change our routines and try something new. We learn about the dances and the cultures behind them, broadening our horizons and leave the studio with a better sense of self-worth. Dancing really can make you glow and helps people take pride in their appearance too.