The Benefits of Dancing as a Form of Exercise
27th Apr 21
Everyone enjoys dancing, whether it’s professionally or just dancing around your kitchen for fun. There is nothing better than putting some good music on and just having a boogie, but did you know dancing can have some great benefits to your body as well as your mind?
Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.
Weight Loss & Improving Fitness
The first benefit of dancing is that it can help with weight loss and improve overall fitness. One 30-minute dance class can burn between 130 and 250 calories alone (depending on the type of dance). That is because dancing can use more muscles than most exercises alone, targeting and toning the core, arms, quads, hamstrings, glutes and back muscles. To make sure you hit all of these muscles, coordinated dance is best, whether that’s a dance class or video online. That doesn’t mean that having a boogie in your living room doesn’t count, though.
Alongside helping with weight loss, dancing can benefit overall fitness as well. No matter what type of dance you prefer, practising it can improve coordination and flexibility and improve your balance and spatial awareness. Not only this, but dancing regularly can also improve your stamina which could help with other forms of exercise you might want to do. These are all things that not only benefit you health-wise but also help in daily life.
Mental Benefits
In addition to the physical benefits, dancing also has many mental benefits. Dancing exercises your brain as it has to recognise the beats and flow of the music and match your body to it. This is how your balance and rhythm improve as you dance more, as you are training your brain to recognise different beats.
Dancing can also boost your mood and self-esteem, much like any other exercise. It can release chemicals in your brain that make you feel happier and more confident, and this can carry through into daily life even when you aren’t exercising.
Cost-Effective
Another benefit of dancing is that it can be pretty cost-effective. Obviously, if you want to learn how to dance at a dance class, that will cost you, but dancing, in general, is free. You can use online videos, or like we have already mentioned, just put some music on and dance in your own home. You don’t even need to buy any equipment. So if you are looking for a form of exercise that’s cheap, dancing is probably your best bet.
Have Fun
Finally, dancing is just fun. Some forms of exercise can be boring, especially if you don’t enjoy exercising, but everyone can enjoy dancing, even if you can’t dance. So go and put your favourite tunes on, or make a playlist, and get dancing like no one’s watching.
Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.
If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.
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