Workout Wednesday

When we hear our favorite songs on the radio we all feel like dancing. This is very normal, but did you know it is a great exercise? One thing that is great about it is that you are exercising without even knowing it. You want to burn some great calories? Crank up the music and dance around the living room for an hour. You will have definitely broken a good sweat doing it!

So what are some of the benefits of dancing, other than it being really fun. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals that encourage nerve cells to grow. And dancing that requires you to remember dance steps and sequences boosts brain power by improving memory skills. Have you seen some of the dances they do on these shows like so you think you can dance or dancing with the stars? They have some pretty intricate moves they have to remember. Also have you noticed how in shape all of the dancers are? Obviously they are doing something right. Whether it's ballet or ballroom, clogging or jazz, dance is great for helping people of all ages and physical abilities get and stay in shape. There's even chair dancing for people with physical limitations. A 150-pound adult can burn about 150 calories doing 30 minutes of moderate social dancing.


Dancing helps:

strengthen bones and muscles without hurting your joints

tone your entire body

improve your posture and balance, which can prevent falls

increase your stamina and flexibility

reduce stress and tension

build confidence

provide opportunities to meet people, and

ward off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression

All of those benefits sound great to just be able to dance around my living room for awhile. I'm not saying stop all of your other cardio, but this is a fun and easy cardio routine that anyone can do.


There are also a lot of dance related fitness classes. These are a lot more intense than just dancing around your living room. I have never taken any of these classes, but I have heard a lot of great things about them. I do have the zumba game for the Wii. Let me tell you after about 30 minutes on there I am dripping sweat for sure. So go grab your dancing shoes and burn off some calories tonight!!