Escape the Gym
Are your yearly goals, to get fit, off track?
Have you given up on the Gym, Elliptical, Wii or those workout DVDs?
Try a form of exercise that is sustainable because it
is fun – DANCE!
I’m not talking about free style dance or what you do
to the music when you’ve had a few too many. I’m talking about dancing
with a partner, creating one center, lead and follow connections, hearing the
rhythm and knowing what dance fits the song, creating the character of the
dance and using proper technique.
Did you know?
The exercise you get dancing is every bit as much of a
workout as you can get at a gym or running a marathon. Dancing is, in
fact, more beneficial in many ways:
Dancing is Sustainable
Sustainable
because it is fun, ever changing (no need to worry about your workout becoming
ineffective and stale), and its something you can do for the rest of your
life. As long as you can walk you can dance. There are as many or
more venues for dance and it is always fun, interesting, social and you can get
that same runner’s ‘high’ dancing. And it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or
snowing, muddy or icy, too hot or too cold and you can do it all year around.
Dancing as Exercise
Exercise benefits of partner
dancing are well documented
Dancing is a moderate, low-impact, weight bearing
activity, that can:
• Strength bones and muscles without hurting your
joints
• Tones your entire body
• Improves your posture and balance
• Increases your stamina and flexibility
• Lowers your risk of coronary heart disease, decrease
blood pressure and can help you manage your weight.
So if you’re tired of the treadmill and looking for a
fun way to stay fit and healthy, it might be time to kick up your heels!
Dancing Burns A
Lot Calories!
How many calories will you burn while dancing? That
depends on the type of dancing, your fitness and exertion levels. To give
you an idea, here’s a range of some of the most popular dances, based on a
150-pound dancer, of average fitness, per hour:
• Foxtrot or Tango: 192 +/- cal/hour
• Waltz: 216 +/- cal/hour
• Rumba or Night Club Two Step:
240 +/- cal/hour
• Quick Step or Country Two Step:
342 +/- cal/hour
• Salsa, Mambo, Samba: +/- 350 cal/hour
• West Coast Swing: 384 +/- cal/hour
• Viennese Waltz or Polka: 390 +/- cal/hour
• Swing (East Coast, Hustle or Jive)
+/- 450 cal/hour
• Aerobic dancing (like Zumba): +/- 540 cal/hour
All these dances and more are taught right here at Daza
Dance! The calories/hour data comes from 2 sources – Arthur Murray Dance
Studios and an Australian Study to determine heart rate and estimated energy
expended during ballroom dancing.
How does dance stack up against other physical
activities?
Dancing the night away can burn more calories per hour
than riding a bike or swimming. Swimming 413, Tai chi
219, Running 472, Horseback Riding 281, Volleyball
213, Bowling 133
Fact: The gross energy expenditures between competitive
ballroom dancing and say basketball or cross-country running is the same.
Dancing Makes You Smarter
Dancing increases mental capacity by exercising our cognitive
processes. Frequent dancing ranked higher then doing crossword puzzles to
ward off Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The dynamic and rapid-fire decision making
while dancing, creates new neural paths that make you smarter. Take up dancing
and see what your brain can do for you!
Dancing is a Social Activity
Dancing is recreational, entertaining and perhaps
the most elegant and well-respected social activity in the world!
Dance can create a social life for us, while
affording us the opportunity to make new friends. Studies have shown that
strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem
and a positive outlook. By going to social dance classes and social dance
functions, you will meet people of both genders with a common interest – Dance
– and thereby make new friends and acquaintances.
Dancing is Timeless and Ageless
Dance is an activity that is uniquely accessible and
sociable, allowing participants to improve physical fitness and mental
well-being, to interact, and to obtain results at all levels. Everybody is
capable of moving to music. And dance transgresses all barriers of age, gender
and culture.
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