Dancing: People do it for many reasons. But did you know that dancing has great health benefits as well? We here at Old Moore’s Almanac have discovered just how good dancing is for your wellbeing!
We all know that exercise is the ultimate medicine. Staying active is paramount for well-being, especially in the years after 50. But what if you could combine a fun activity with exercise so that you didn’t even feel like you were exercising at all? That’s exactly why so many people do dancing – it’s so fun that you forget you are getting quite the workout.
Dancing Benefits:
Improve the condition of your heart and lungs; due to the (sometimes) aerobic nature of some of the faster dances.
Even a 45 minute dance lesson can warm you up. For example, the Foxtrot moves around the room. Or you could do a slower Latin dance like the Rumba, before hitting faster tempos of Swing. Break with a wonderful Waltz, before moving onto a faster Cha Cha then cool down with a Tango!
Increase your muscular strength. When you are dancing, you are moving! Our 5th Avenue Dance instructors are very aware of your starting level of fitness, and take this into account as we teach you to dance, and within a very short period of time what you can do, increases.
Increase endurance.
Dancing may not seem like exercise in the same way as going to the gym, riding a bike or training for a triathlon. But you are dancing and moving for 45 minutes, which is a good workout. The difference is the music and fun (not to mention the skill you are learning).
Weight management.
Exercise is great. Even better is a variety of exercises to burn calories. Your body gets used to just swimming, or just running. Dancing a variety of dances uses different muscle groups at different speeds. This is hard for your body to “get used to” so therefore more calories are burned.
Stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis.
According to Osteoporosis Australia, dancing is categorised as highly Osteogenic. Dancing is right up there in the number one category.
Highly Osteogenic: Dancing/Gymnastics, Basketball/Netball, Tennis, Jump rope
Moderately Osteogenic: Running/Jogging, Brisk/Hill walking, Stair climbing
Low Osteogenic: Leisure walking, Lawn Bowls, Yoga/Pilates
Non-Osteogenic: Swimming and Cycling.
Better coordination, agility, and flexibility.
This is very important in the later years to maintain balance and prevent falls. Concentrating on feet placement and timing leads to better balance and coordination and gives you increased agility and flexibility as well as spatial awareness (very important on a social dance floor with many other couples dancing and having fun).
Dancing Gives You Increased physical confidence.
As your stamina increases, together with balance and timing, your physical confidence in what you can do skyrockets. For those needing the occasional helping hand, your connection to your dance partner supplies this – allowing you to fly across the dance floor.
Improved general and psychological wellbeing.
Being social and making new friends in the later years has been shown time and time again to lengthen lifespan and increase wellbeing.
Dancing gives you Better social skills.
Constantly change partners in group lessons – even those who have their own partner should go out of the way to ask and dance with all partners. You can never have too many friends, right?
Read here about how Irish dance conquered the world.
