| If you secretly sashay across your living room when | | | | neighborhood ... Ballroom dancing works the backs of |
| you're home alone or long to cha-cha with your | | | | the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many |
| significant other, you're in luck. Not only is dancing an | | | | other types of exercise," says Ken Richards, |
| exceptional way to let loose and have fun, but it also | | | | professional dancer and spokesman for USA Dance, |
| provides some terrific benefits for your health.In fact, | | | | the national governing body of DanceSport |
| Mayo Clinic researchers reported that social dancing | | | | (competitive ballroom dancing).Specific Benefits of |
| helps to: Reduce stress Increase energy Improve | | | | Different DancesIf you're looking for specific health |
| strength Increase muscle tone and coordination And | | | | results, here's a breakdown of the benefits of some |
| whether you like to kick up your heals to hip hop, | | | | popular dances. Just remember that any type of |
| classical or country, the National Heart, Lung and Blood | | | | dancing is better than no dancing at all!Belly Dancing |
| Institute (NHLBI) says that dancing can: Lower your risk | | | | Improved posture and muscle toning Maintains flexibility |
| of coronary heart disease Decrease blood pressure | | | | Helps prevent lower back problems Tones and firms |
| Help you manage your weight Strengthen the bones | | | | arms and shoulders Helps with weight loss Helps |
| of your legs and hips Dancing is a unique form of | | | | prepare women for childbirth Reduces stress Dancing |
| exercise because it provides the heart-healthy benefits | | | | Off Those CaloriesHow many calories will you burn |
| of an aerobic exercise while also allowing you to | | | | while dancing? That depends on the type of dancing. |
| engage in a social activity. This is especially stimulating | | | | Here's a range of some of the most popular varieties, |
| to the mind, and one 21-year study published in the | | | | based on a 150-pound person, per hour: Swing dancing: |
| New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing | | | | 235 calories/hour Ballroom dancing: 265 Square |
| can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other | | | | dancing: 280 Ballet: 300 Belly dancing: 380 Salsa |
| forms of dementia in the elderly.In the study, | | | | dancing: 420+ Aerobic dancing: 540+ Ballroom Dancing |
| participants over the age of 75 who engaged in | | | | Conditions the body Helps keep the heart in shape |
| reading, dancing and playing musical instruments and | | | | Builds and increases stamina Develops the circulatory |
| board games once a week had a 7 percent lower risk | | | | system Strengthens and tones legs and body |
| of dementia compared to those who did not. Those | | | | Increases flexibility and balance Helps with weight loss |
| who engaged in these activities at least 11 days a | | | | Relieves stress Salsa Dancing Builds endurance and |
| month had a 63 percent lower risk!Interestingly, dancing | | | | stamina Helps with weight loss Relieves stress Helps |
| was the only physical activity out of 11 in the study that | | | | you release toxins via sweating May help lower blood |
| was associated with a lower risk of dementia. Said | | | | pressure and improve cholesterol levels Can lead to a |
| Joe Verghese, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College | | | | reduced heart rate over time Square Dancing |
| of Medicine and a lead researcher of the study, "This | | | | Provides cardiovascular conditioning May lead to a |
| is perhaps because dance music engages the | | | | slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and an |
| dancer's mind."Verghese says dancing may be a triple | | | | improved cholesterol profile Strengthens bones Helps |
| benefit for the brain. Not only does the physical aspect | | | | you develop strong social ties Loosens and tones |
| of dancing increase blood flow to the brain, but also | | | | muscles Physical benefits aside, dancing has a way of |
| the social aspect of the activity leads to less stress, | | | | brightening up a person's day, says ballroom owner |
| depression and loneliness. Further, dancing requires | | | | and operator Karen Tebeau."A lot of times, when |
| memorizing steps and working with a partner, both of | | | | people come into the studio, it's because there's been |
| which provide mental challenges that are crucial for | | | | a change in their life: a divorce or they've been through |
| brain health.How Good of a Workout is Dancing, | | | | a period of depression. They (continue) coming in, and |
| Really?The amount of benefit you get from dancing | | | | you see a big change. After a while, they're walking in |
| depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing | | | | with a sunny expression. You know it's the dancing |
| you're doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your | | | | that's doing that," she says.This article was provided by |
| skill level.Says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, | | | | the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living |
| MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, | | | | e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at The old way |
| Wisconsin, "Once someone gets to the point where | | | | of thinking: "holistic living" pertains only to personal |
| they're getting their heart rate up, they're actually | | | | health. The new way of thinking: "holistic living" means |
| getting a terrific workout. Dance is a weight-bearing | | | | prevention of the negative and adherence to the |
| activity, which builds bones. It's also "wonderful" for | | | | positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, |
| your upper body and strength."Plus, dancing requires | | | | finances, career, home environment, safety and health. |
| using muscles that you may not even know you had."If | | | | With the e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from |
| you're dancing the foxtrot, you're taking long, sweeping | | | | the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- |
| steps backwards. That's very different than walking | | | | completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a |
| forward on a treadmill or taking a jog around the | | | | guaranteed no-spam policy! |