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