BENEFITS OF DANCE

Dancing is a great way to exercise without knowing it!

Dancing regularly can;

Improve your posture - Dancing can really help to correct the effects of modern living.

Improve cardiovascular health - Dancing combines aerobic activity with weight bearing which will boost your strength and endurance.

Strengthen your heart - Dance uses oxygen, burns calories and increases your hearts workload.

Strengthen your lungs - Cardiovascular activity will increase your lungs workload, therefore strengthening them and increasing their capacity.

Improve your bone density - Dancing slightly jars the bones, which encourages the body to build new bone. This helps to strengthen the skeleton and reduces the risk of conditions such as Osteoporosis.

Improve your balance - Dancing will improve your balance and concentration.

Improve your co-ordination - Exercise improves blood flow to the brain which encourages direct focus and concentration.

Build muscle tone - Regular dancing will improve and build muscle tone throughout the body, particularly in the legs and buttocks. Regular dancers often find they drop a clothes size due to increased muscle tone.

Improve mobility - Dancing will increase the amount of synovial fluid around the joints therefore improving mobility.

Improve flexibility - Dancing will gently lengthen and strengthen your muscles to improve flexibility.

Improve grace and agility - Improved posture, mobility and flexibility will contribute towards improved grace and agility.

Help your circulation - Using your heart more will pump blood around the body and increase your circulation.

Aid in weight loss - Dance is an excellent way to exercise without realising it. Aerobic activity means your heart rate is raised and maintained, therefore, combined with a calorie controlled diet, assisting in weight loss. U.S research shows that a vigorous dance class can burn as many calories as a gym workout.

Improve your confidence - Dancing encourages confidence and releases endorphins which give you the 'feel good factor'.

Help you to relax - Dancing is a great way to forget your troubles for a while, while aerobic activity will physically tire you and aid relaxation.

Improve your social life - Meet other people and make new friends with others who are just like you, singles, couples and friends alike!

Boost immunity - People who exercise regularly get fewer minor ailments such as colds and flu.

Improve brain activity - Improved blood flow to the brain keeps it in good shape. Learning new routines encourages the brain to produce new dendrites (connections between nerve cells), which help your brain to store and retrieve information more easily.

Ease aches and lifts depression - Sustained activity such as dancing releases endorphins. These are body-made chemicals that ease pain, banish depression, and encourage feelings of well-being.

Increase strength and stamina - Aerobic and weight bearing activity will boost your strength and endurance.

Burn up to 400 calories per hour!

Some information taken, with thanks, from Penfriend magazine, spring 2007.

Back to top