Sometimes in order to get ourselves healthy we have to think outside the box. How many times have you heard someone tell their health success story and think, “Wow, I had never thought of that before”?
From pedalling ourselves to nowhere on stationary bikes to putting our ankles behind our heads in Yoga, women will do just about anything to get themselves in shape and drop the extra pounds.
You are already aware that dancing is fun and that it’s a great way to get some exercise but have you thought of how you can incorporate dancing into your exercise routine? If you’ve never been one to get on a treadmill and walk to infinity or join a traditional aerobics class then you might find that dancing is exactly what you’re looking for. There are numerous options available and all of them have some excellent benefits.
The first thing to understand about dancing as a form of exercise is that the more you move around and keep your body going, the more calories you are going to burn. The more fast-paced a dance is, you have the possibility of burning the calories faster as well. Dance exercise routines require that you can keep up with the music and the tempo. In some types of exercise routines that use dance as a foundation, you can spend 15 minutes exercising and burn more calories than 15 minutes of treadmill walking. That shouldn’t deter you from trying out dances exercise routines that move slower though; some of those are built more towards toning your body.
Some people don’t realise that dancing your way through exercise builds muscle and also tones your body. However, after the recent success of some reality television dance shows, such as the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing and America’s Dancing with the Stars, the participants themselves have discovered just how quickly their bodies toned up and the weight came off. Their hard work and constant practising is a testimony of how dancing can help your body get in shape.
In case you haven’t been dancing lately, think about the last time that you were. Do you remember the feeling of your heart pounding after grooving to your favourite tunes? Well, when you find a dance exercise class or routine, your heart and cardiovascular system get the same benefits of a night out dancing. Your heart will build stamina and your lung function and blood flow will improve as well. Your entire cardiovascular system benefits to you “getting down” to even a short exercise dance routine.
For instance, learning to hip hop dance or incorporating hip hop dance style moves into your exercise routine will burn calories, build muscles and get the blood pumping. This form of exercise, also called hip hop aerobics is an excellent way to lose weight as it can be very fast paced and the exercises themselves are built directly from modern dance moves and popular hip hop dance routines. Because of the tempo of the music and the fast popping moves, you don’t need a lengthy workout to feel the advantages.
Now that you can see the physical health benefits to dancing your way to good health, consider how your mind and spirit feels after a night out on the dance floor. Dancing is a natural mood enhancer and really, there isn’t anything more mood lifting than exercising and having fun while you do it. While you don’t need a partner for a dance exercise class, your mind is acutely attuned to a partner’s moves and the concentration that you need to have to make your next steps. Regardless of if you participate in a dance exercise class with a partner or on your own, your mind is also exercised as you have to concentrate and calculate your next steps.
Some of the more recent bursts of dance exercise trends have focused on the overall toning of the body as well as helping a women feel sexy in her own skin. Two of the most popular are Pole Dancing and Belly Dancing classes. Both of these types of dance exercise class originate from Western worlds but have been brought into the limelight as excellent ways to not only tone your body and lose weight but also to put the sexy back into a woman’s self esteem. The moves involved in both pole dancing and belly dancing exercise are considered low impact so even if you haven’t danced in a long time, you can pick up either of these two exercise forms easier than jumping into a hip hop aerobics class.
Regardless of whether or not you are looking to get physically fit, increase your metabolism build muscle or even feel sexy with new exotic moves you can take to any dance floor; dance exercises have created routines for just about any woman looking to spice up her exercise routine and learn something new in the process. If you don’t think you’re ready to take a class, why not get out your dancing shoes at home, turn up the radio and spend 15 minutes getting footloose and fancy free in your living room? That 15 minutes could burn up 105 calories!
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