At last, an exercise that doesn’t need any equipment, can be done anywhere, anytime and is way more fun than running up hills, star jumps or being yelled at in a boot camp.
Dancing is the clever way to get fit and retain your sense of humour. And that’s not just our opinion, at Social Dance Company we’ve checked out the research and come up with some exciting facts and figures about how dancing is good for you. Follow our lead and check out why dancing is sooo good for you!
Dancing gets your flexible on!
All those dance steps, techniques and concepts you learn are working hard to build your flexibility. You may not realise it, but social dancing incorporates stretching, twisting and bending across all the major muscle groups so if you suddenly find it much easier to bend and twist in your daily life it’s not a coincidence, it’s dancing at work.
Bonus thought: increasing your flexibility will also help ease joint pain and post exercise soreness.
Dancing gives your heart a hug…
An Italian study showed that dance is a great activity for people at risk of cardiovascular disease. People with heart failure who took up waltzing improved their heart health, breathing and quality of life significantly compared to those who biked or walked on a treadmill for exercise. Now that’s a vote for dancing!! American experts believe that unlike more traditional cardio, which is very structured and vigorous, dancing is much freer and allows you to adjust the tempo when your body needs a break. Dancing is also less traumatic on your body, you don’t have to worry about going hard, you can always slow down”. In fact, recent studies have shown that a dance fitness workout can increase your heart rate up to 65-85 percent.
Bonus thought.the wide variety of moves that we bust out when dancing can actually be a lifesaver for your body, as you’re avoiding the wear and tear of repetitive motions.
Dancing helps drops the kilos
Fed up with pounding the pavement, bored with your bicycle? Celebrate! A study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that a program of aerobic dancing is just as helpful for losing weight and increasing aerobic power as cycling and jogging. Better than a gym class, dancing workouts combine exercises in different combinations that you typically wouldn’t see in a low impact aerobics class. It’s weird but cool that for most people, when you are dancing you don’t feel like you are exercising, the music carries you along and you get all those kilojoule burning benefits without the pain.
Bonus thought – Recent research shows that females benefit more psychologically and physically from dance considering it as a physical exercise
Dancing gets you balanced better
If you are nervous about falling as you get older, social dance lessons might help ease your worries, according to a study in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity that showed tango dancing can improve balance in older adults. Dancing requires a lot of fast movement and good posture, so frequent dancing will help you stabilize and gain better control of your body.
Bonus Thought: Dancing also improves your muscle strength, gives you stronger bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis
Give yourself a power boost
If your energy has got up and gone, taking dance lessons might help. Research published in the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition found that a weekly dance class not only improved physical performance but increased energy levels among adults. Which really comes in handy when you want to build up your endurance, get coordinated and enjoy life more
Bonus thought: Dancing doesn’t just make you physically fitter but has huge mental health benefits
The experts all agree that dancing is good for you so whether you are an experienced social dancer or a newbie interested in giving it a go remember dancing can be as valuable to you as your gym membership, your dietician or your GP. Interested in dancing your way to better health and a great life? Check out our website.
