Dancing is Great Exercise

As exercise, dancing will increase your energy level which will breathe new life into the same old rut we have gotten ourselves into. Dancing is creative and interpretive which stimulates the mind as well. Dancing can easily create intimacy with your partner and inspire new romances or rekindle old ones. Research studies are finding out that regular physical activity will help keep your body, as well as your brain, healthier as you age. Since dancing is exercise it encourages nerve cells to grow because exercise releases chemicals in the brain to encourage this process. Also, dancing often times requires you to remember dance steps and sequences works out the brain by improving your memory skills.
Rita Beckford, M.D., a family doctor and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise cites a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found ballroom dancing at least twice a week made people less likely to develop dementia. Additionally, research studies have shown that some people with Alzheimer's disease to have been able to recall forgotten memories when they danced to music they used to know.
Whatever the type, dancing is great for helping people of all ages and physical abilities get and stay in shape. Just look at "Dancing with the Stars". There have been "celebrities" of all age groups (Cloris Leachman, 82) on the program and even one (Heather Mills) with a handicap. A lot of the "stars" like Wayne Newton, Jenny Garth, Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour lost weight on the program. Dancing is a great way to get in shape. Can you even image one of the Rockettes, or Mikhail Baryshnikov, or a Broadway dancer being overweight? O.K. we may never get to look like those examples, the point is, doing a little dancing certainly will not hurt us.

If you are too embarrassed to dance in public because you're afraid you have two left feet, you can do your own thing just by turning on some music and dancing around the house. My ex-fiancé and I "bounce around the living room". We're still great friends and sadly her chosen word "bounce" is probably a lot more accurate than the term dance. I prefer to look at it as, uhm, beat driven interpretive dance with a lot of, well, bouncing up and down. Still, we have fun and, without fail, I am a couple of pounds lighter the next morning. I know this to be fact because I weigh myself every single morning. It's a fantastic workout for the legs, mid section and arms that, occasionally, bruises our buttocks by the non-anticipated maneuver of throwing them upon the floor. It's not pretty, but, it is pretty funny.

Doctors have long touted the health benefits that come from dancing. Throughout history, doctors have recommended dancing as good exercise to some very notable patients. It's a mild form of exercise for the heart. It's much more pleasurable than walking, and much more thorough because it utilizes more of the entire body.
Several leading research centers have touted the physical fitness benefits of social dancing. For example, the Mayo Clinic reported dancing is not only a great way to have fun and socialize but also offers several health benefits. Dancing for 30 minutes continuously will burn 200 - 400 calories, the same as swimming or cycling. Their research found social dancing provides these physical health benefits:
* strengthen bones and muscles without hurting your joints
* tones your entire body
* improves your posture and balance
* increases your flexibility and stamina
* dancing reduces stress and tension
* provide opportunities to meet people and builds confidence
* wards off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease,
osteoporosis, and depression
Dancing is also a good way to unwind. People find dancing to be relaxing and a relief from everyday business pressures and stresses. Psychiatrists, many who dance for their pleasure, also recommend it for their patients.