| Dancing can get your heart pumping as well as a | | | | playing team games such as bowling, walking for |
| treadmill but it will do even more, especially if you get | | | | exercise, climbing stairs or doing housework did not |
| out on a dance floor rather than going to a hip-hop, | | | | offer the same benefit.Other studies have shown |
| salsa or other dance-style aerobics class in a gym. In | | | | some unexpected ways in which dance benefits |
| addition to toning muscles and staying in shape | | | | people of different ages:* At the University of |
| aerobically, ballroom dancers of all skill levels report | | | | California Irvine, medical students who took art and |
| feeling less stressed, having a more positive outlook on | | | | dance classes were better able to observe and |
| life, sleeping better, being more flexible, having more | | | | empathize with their patients. |
| energy, being more alert mentally, and getting along | | | | * In Sweden, elite cross-country skiers who did |
| better with other people. And you don't have to dance | | | | pre-season dance training experienced less back pain |
| with the stars, become competitive or go through a | | | | from skiing. |
| dance boot camp to benefit."People forget how much | | | | * In a Korean study, depressed teens experienced |
| fun it is to go out and move to music with other | | | | relief from dance therapy, and had measurably higher |
| people," says Judy Gantz, founder and director of the | | | | levels of serotonin. |
| Center for Movement Education and Research in Los | | | | * In Connecticut, breast cancer survivors who took |
| Angeles and a faculty member at the University of | | | | part in a 12-week therapeutic dance program at a |
| California Los Angeles; "And dance requires | | | | medical center in Meriden improved their quality of |
| somewhat complex coordination so it enhances your | | | | life.Calories Burn FastAerobically speaking, dance |
| brain."Researchers Identify Surprising BenefitsAt the | | | | matches many grunt-and-groan activities. Researchers |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, | | | | at the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, MN, have |
| researchers examined how exercise influences the | | | | estimated that dancing can burn 200 to 400 calories in |
| risk of dementia by tracking 469 people over the age | | | | 30 minutes and an evening of square dancing can |
| of 75 for a period of 5 years. They found that dancing | | | | equate to walking five miles. In addition, side-to-side |
| was associated with a lower risk of dementia, while | | | | dance movements help to prevent osteoporosis by |
| swimming, bicycling, participating in group exercises, | | | | strengthening weight-bearing bones. |