You Need To Be Dancin’
By Doris A. Black

Dancing is more than just a form of entertainment. It promotes a healthy body, mind and spirit, especially among the elderly. Although many people have known the benefits of dance for years, it wasn’t until the International Olympic Committee confirmed that ballroom dancing was a true athletic activity that it became recognized as a form of exercise.

Because there are so many different styles of dance to choose from, it is possible to choose a style that matches your own pace of physical activity. For example, the samba will provide quite an enthusiastic aerobic workout, while a two-step or fox trot will provide a slowerpaced workout. You may want to start with one of the slower dances and work your way up to the samba or chacha as your stamina increases.

There are numerous benefits to dancing on a regular basis:

 It will lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis. The cardiovascular workout you get from doing the salsa, rumba or country line dancing will strengthen your heart muscles in the same way as working out on a treadmill.

 It will improve your rhythm and coordination, thereby helping you to retain good balance and agility and avoid falls.

 It will improve your body posture and alignment, thus minimizing back problems.

 It will help keep your bones strong and your joints healthy. Over a period of time, you will notice your stamina for other activities has increased as well.

 It will help you maintain a healthy weight. On average, 15 minutes of vigorous dancing will burn 30 to 80 calories depending on your weight.

 It will reduce stress. When you are dancing, you will think about the steps and moves, not about all the stressful situations in your life.

 It will increase your overall energy level and zest for life.

To reap the maximum physical benefits of dancing, experts recommend dancing three or four times a week for 30 minutes.

The benefits of dance are not limited to physical ones, though. Studies have shown that regular dancing has emotional benefits as well. According to experts, couples who dance together consider themselves fun people to be around. Dancing also lessens feelings of anxiety and depression and allows for a creative outlet of individual expression. As you learn to master new dances, your confidence will increase and spill over to other areas of your life.

Dancing also helps promote a healthy mind by keeping the mind sharp. Learning new steps and memorizing routines exercises the brain, keeping pathways between the cells active and nourished. Meeting new people in classes or out on the dance floor leads to new friendships and a larger social circle, which also keeps the mind active and engaged.

Before embarking on a vigorous dance schedule, consult your physician. When incorporating dance into an exercise program, start slowly. As with any fitness training program, a warm-up time and cool-down time is essential. Arm and leg stretches are a great way to warm up the muscles and increase flexibility, while slow dancing with your significant other is the perfect cool-down method. So, put on your dancing shoes and go.