Dance is arguably one of the most diverse activities the world has seen. There are so many styles of dance, they’re almost uncountable. And so many of them are completely different from one another. There’s belly dancing and bollywood, salsa and street dance, pole dancing, ballroom, ballet and tap. The list goes on. With so many different styles of dance, there’s bound to be something to suit everyone. But it isn’t just fun -although fun is a large part of it! Dance can actually improve your health.
One of the first major benefits is the fact that it can assist in weight loss. A half hour dance session, depending on the style of course, can burn off anything between 150 and 400 calories! There was recently a research study carried out, in which dancers enjoying an evening’s dancing wore pedometers. Over the course of the night, they had covered on average 5 miles each! In fact, dance is so effective as a means of burning calories that the UK government is hoping it might be the answer to childhood obesity problems. It has incorporated ballroom dance into school PE lessons.
Dance is incredible for cardiovascular conditioning. It can reduce your blood pressure, slow your heart rate and improve your cholesterol profile. Now that’s a good thing whoever you are and whatever your state of health, surely?
The other major benefit is the fact that dance can help to strengthen bones. This is particularly useful for the older people, whose bones may be starting to weaken. Older people can find a style of dance that suits them and use that as a means of strengthening their bones.
When you add the health benefits to how much fun dance can be and the fact that it can be an excellent means of meeting new friends and offering social benefits, it’s almost a no brainer! And you don’t necessarily even need to worry about dancewear in the early days! Get started by joining beginners classes and just turn up in something comfy. Tracksuit bottoms and trainers will be fine. If you get into it you might want to consider specialist dancewear and shoes.
