Keep fit by dancing yourself to health

When was the last time you kicked up your heels, had some fun and danced the night away? Has it been too long? The good news is that dancing is a great way to keep fit and healthy.

Have you ever tried dancing while feeling miserable? It’s almost impossible. “Tripping the light fantastic” will often put life back into any tired person, let your spirits soar, open up creativity, help you keep fit, bring back wonderful memories, inspire romance and create joy.

On a physical level, it can also give you a great mind-body workout. Regular physical activity can also help you keep fit with your body and brain healthy as you get older. Exercise increases the level of chemicals in the brain that encourage nerve cells to grow, and dancing, which needs you to remember dance steps, boosts brain power by improving memory skills.

Studies have been done that show that ballroom dancing twice a week made people less likely to develop dementia. Research also shows that some people with Alzheimer’s disease are able to recall forgotten memories when they danced to familiar music, making dancing one of the many catalysts to keep our memory banks churning.

As an exercise, just by dancing for 30 minutes you can burn the same amount of kilojoules as what you weigh, as well as work up a sweat and cleanse your cells, depending on the kind of dancing you are doing. Add to that the consumption of water afterwards, to flush out the toxins, and you begin to realise that this fun exercise can in fact have many positive effects on your body and emotional Health.

Since it is such a great way to keep fit, dancing can also:

• Ward off diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis and depression
• Strengthen bones and muscles without hurting joints
• Improve posture and balance
• Increase stamina and flexibility
• Tone you up
• Reduce stress and tension
• Build confidence
• Provide social opportunities

There is a wide variety of dances to try either in the quiet of your own home, if you are shy, or down at the crowded club or local dancing school (which you can find on Google). If you are really adventurous, try to beat the record of 989 participants in the Guinness Book of Records for a dance class by inviting 989 of your friends. Ballroom dancing, square dancing, belly dancing, salsa, flamenco, jazz, tap, modern, line dancing, folk dancing and hip hop are just a few forms of dance you could try.

Chakra dance is also another form of dance which promotes Energetic healing. It works with the Kundalini, which is the energy in the spine, and can be learned from trained teachers. It is fun to go to a workshop for a day or a weekend. The dance exercises are fun and invigorating. They serve to balance your energy and bring out old energetic patterns which do not serve you. For those of you who run on too much of one kind of energy, feminine or masculine, it is great to create that other sensitive balance that we all need.

So, if you’re tired of the treadmill and looking for a fun way to keep fit and healthy, it might be time to get your dancing shoes on!