THE BENEFITS OF DANCE ON YOUR BODY
We all know that dancing is a lot of fun, but did you know that it can actually improve your health and wellbeing as well? There are a plethora of physical benefits that dancing provides, and you'll want to get to dancing after you read this article! Check out all the perks dancing can have on your health by continuing reading below!
The physical benefits of dance
1. Better agility and flexibility
Age, lack of movement — or performing repetitive movements— can lead to stiffness and a lack of mobility that sets you up for discomfort and injury. But dance can help. One study found that cross-country skiers who received months of dance training showed improvements in joint mobility and muscle flexibility of the spine, as well as their speed and agility.
In a similar study, cross-country skiers who received pre-season dance training had improved range of hip motion, enhanced spine flexibility, and a reduced risk of back pain.
Keep in mind, you don’t need to hit the slopes to reap the agility and flexibility benefits of getting down to music! Dancing can help you in your daily life-no matter what other activities you do!
2. Balance and coordination
As we age, balance and coordination deteriorate exponentially. This is one of the main reasons that older adults are so prone to falls. However, the ability of dancing to improve these markers of health in older individuals is promising.
One study on people over the age of 80 years found that social dancing helped improve balance and walking speed, as well as contributing to a more stable walking pattern.
3. Enhanced cardiovascular health
Depending on how intensely drop, it drop it low, dance can serve as a hardcore workout that’s good for your heart. Research has found that regular, moderate-intensity dancing is associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease. And this benefit is significantly more pronounced for dance than for walking.
4. Improved muscle tone and strength
Many of our daily movements (walking, climbing stairs, etc) occur in a straight plane. Dance, however, also throws in lateral and rotational movements. Your body is never bored when you're dancing! This not only improves agility, coordination, and balance, but also strengthens muscles that often get left out in your daily activities, like your abdominals.
5. Weight loss and maintenance
Dance is a form of aerobic exercise (especially dancing to the point where you get super sweaty, like in a Zumba class).
According to the American Diabetes Association, aerobic exercise can support weight loss or weight maintenance.
6. Stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis
Dance is a form of weight-bearing exercise, which is the kind of exercise you should be doing when it comes to improving bone mass.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, high-impact, weight-bearing exercises, such as certain forms of dance, can help maintain bone strength and even build new bone mass. This slows the development and progression of osteoporosis.
Not all dance is high-impact, but even low-impact dancing can help maintain muscle and bone mass that typically declines with age.
7. It can be gentle or intense — you set the pace
Dance can be whatever intensity you want it to be, depending on your mood, energy levels, and whether you have injuries. That’s one reason it’s so approachable and inclusive. If your a little intimidated to just start dancing on your own, taking a dance class (like a hip-hop or Zumba class) with a professional instructor can really help get you in the groove of daily dancing.
Now that you've learned about all the wonderful things dancing can do for your body, get on out there, hit the dance floor, and have FUN!