Showing posts with label Dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dance. Show all posts
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Announcement: I will no longer be teaching Dance on a regular basis
It comes with heavy heart that I will be hanging up my dancing shoes after Sat March 26, 2014. I will still sub dance formats, but as most of you know I have back issues that will no longer allow me to teach this on a regular basis. Thank you all for your support over the years! Who knows, maybe I will post an entire class on YouTube sometime and you can dance with me in your homes anytime you wish!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
If you secretly sashay across your living room when you're home alone or long to cha-cha with your significant other, you're in luck. Not only is dancing an exceptional way to let loose and have fun, but it also provides some terrific benefits for your health.
In fact, Mayo Clinic researchers reported that social dancing helps to:
- Reduce stress
- Increase energy
- Improve strength
- Increase muscle tone and coordination
 Dancing the night away can burn more calories per hour than riding a bike or swimming. |
And whether you like to kick up your heals to hip hop, classical or country, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says that dancing can:
- Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
- Decrease blood pressure
- Help you manage your weight
- Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips
Dancing is a unique form of exercise because it provides the heart-healthy benefits of an aerobic exercise while also allowing you to engage in a social activity. This is especially stimulating to the mind, and one 21-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in the elderly.
In the study, participants over the age of 75 who engaged in reading, dancing and playing musical instruments and board games once a week had a 7 percent lower risk of dementia compared to those who did not. Those who engaged in these activities at least 11 days a month had a 63 percent lower risk!
Interestingly, dancing was the only physical activity out of 11 in the study that was associated with a lower risk of dementia. Said Joe Verghese, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a lead researcher of the study, "This is perhaps because dance music engages the dancer's mind."
Verghese says dancing may be a triple benefit for the brain. Not only does the physical aspect of dancing increase blood flow to the brain, but also the social aspect of the activity leads to less stress, depression and loneliness. Further, dancing requires memorizing steps and working with a partner, both of which provide mental challenges that are crucial for brain health.
How Good of a Workout is Dancing, Really?
The amount of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing you're doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your skill level.
Says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wisconsin, "Once someone gets to the point where they're getting their heart rate up, they're actually getting a terrific workout. Dance is a weight-bearing activity, which builds bones. It's also "wonderful" for your upper body and strength."
 Most people agree that social dancing gives them a more positive outlook on life. |
Plus, dancing requires using muscles that you may not even know you had.
"If you're dancing the foxtrot, you're taking long, sweeping steps backwards. That's very different than walking forward on a treadmill or taking a jog around the neighborhood ... Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise," says Ken Richards, professional dancer and spokesman for USA Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport (competitive ballroom dancing).
Specific Benefits of Different Dances
If you're looking for specific health results, here's a breakdown of the benefits of some popular dances. Just remember that any type of dancing is better than no dancing at all!
Belly Dancing
- Improved posture and muscle toning
- Maintains flexibility
- Helps prevent lower back problems
- Tones and firms arms and shoulders
- Helps with weight loss
- Helps prepare women for childbirth
- Reduces stress
| Dancing Off Those Calories How many calories will you burn while dancing? That depends on the type of dancing. Here's a range of some of the most popular varieties, based on a 150-pound person, per hour:
|
Ballroom Dancing
- Conditions the body
- Helps keep the heart in shape
- Builds and increases stamina
- Develops the circulatory system
- Strengthens and tones legs and body
- Increases flexibility and balance
- Helps with weight loss
- Relieves stress
Salsa Dancing
- Builds endurance and stamina
- Helps with weight loss
- Relieves stress
- Helps you release toxins via sweating
- May help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels
- Can lead to a reduced heart rate over time
Square Dancing
- Provides cardiovascular conditioning
- May lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and an improved cholesterol profile
- Strengthens bones
- Helps you develop strong social ties
- Loosens and tones muscles
Physical benefits aside, dancing has a way of brightening up a person's day, says ballroom owner and operator Karen Tebeau.
"A lot of times, when people come into the studio, it's because there's been a change in their life: a divorce or they've been through a period of depression. They (continue) coming in, and you see a big change. After a while, they're walking in with a sunny expression. You know it's the dancing that's doing that," she says.
...join me at the Monon Community Center on Weds 830a, Thurs 6p or Sat 9a to get your groove on! Guests are welcome at $8 a pass or $20 unlimited group fitness for a month!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Top 4 Health Benefits of Dance
Retrieved from: http://dance.about.com/od/danceandyourhealth/tp/Health-Benefits.htm
By Treva Bedinghaus, About.com Guide
Dancing is a great way for people of all ages to get and stay in shape. Besides being fun, dancing has many positive health benefits. Following are the top 4 health benefits of dance.
1. Flexibility
Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount of flexibility. Most dance classes begin with a warm-up including several stretching exercises. Dancers must strive to achieve full range of motion for all the major muscle groups. The greater the range of motion, the more muscles can flex and extend. Most forms of dance require dancers to perform moves that require bending and stretching, so dancers naturally become more flexible by simply dancing.
3. Endurance2. Strength
Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a dancer's own body weight. Many styles of dance, including jazz and ballet, require jumping and leaping high into the air. Jumping and leaping require tremendous strength of the major leg muscles. Ballroom dancing builds strength. Consider the muscle mass a male ballroom dancer develops by lifting his partner above his head!
Dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance. Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially vigorous dancing such as line and ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate can increase stamina. Just as in any form of exercise, regular dancing will build endurance.
4. Sense of Well-Being
Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook. Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people. Joining a dance class can increase self-confidence and build social skills. Because physical activity reduces stress and tension, regular dancing gives an overall sense of well-being.
By Treva Bedinghaus, About.com Guide
Dancing is a great way for people of all ages to get and stay in shape. Besides being fun, dancing has many positive health benefits. Following are the top 4 health benefits of dance.
1. Flexibility
Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount of flexibility. Most dance classes begin with a warm-up including several stretching exercises. Dancers must strive to achieve full range of motion for all the major muscle groups. The greater the range of motion, the more muscles can flex and extend. Most forms of dance require dancers to perform moves that require bending and stretching, so dancers naturally become more flexible by simply dancing.
3. Endurance2. Strength
Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a dancer's own body weight. Many styles of dance, including jazz and ballet, require jumping and leaping high into the air. Jumping and leaping require tremendous strength of the major leg muscles. Ballroom dancing builds strength. Consider the muscle mass a male ballroom dancer develops by lifting his partner above his head!
Dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance. Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially vigorous dancing such as line and ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate can increase stamina. Just as in any form of exercise, regular dancing will build endurance.
4. Sense of Well-Being
Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook. Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people. Joining a dance class can increase self-confidence and build social skills. Because physical activity reduces stress and tension, regular dancing gives an overall sense of well-being.
Benefits of Hip Hop Dance
Retrieved from: http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/understanding-hip-hop-dance-for-fitness.html#b
Hip hop dance is a fun and effective way to burn calories and get your heart pumping. This high-impact cardio workout engages the entire body and helps you build muscle tone. If you incorporate hip hop dance into your exercise routine, you may experience an increase in your energy level and an improvement in your overall physical fitness.
Increases Stamina and Endurance
Hip hop dance increases your stamina and endurance. It requires you to move and change positions at an extremely fast pace. This constant motion helps build endurance and increases your aerobic capacity.
Tones the Abdominals and Strengthens the Core
Hip hop requires you to contract and expand the abdominal muscles in a series of quick but fluid movements. These motions work the upper and lower abs and the obliques and strengthen your entire core.
Aids Weight Loss
Incorporating hip hop dance into your routine can help you manage your weight. Aerobic hip hop can burn up to 500 calories per hour. Hip hop also boosts your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories in less time.
Strengthens the Heart
Hip hop dance is a great cardio workout. Dancing on a regular basis can help you strengthen your heart muscles, improve your lung function and boost your energy level. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers. Intense cardio exercises, like hip hop dance, can improve sleep patterns and provide relief from psychological stress.
Hip hop dance can be a great way to exercise while having fun. With a few simple steps you may find yourself at an improved fitness level and in better shape.
Hip hop dance is a fun and effective way to burn calories and get your heart pumping. This high-impact cardio workout engages the entire body and helps you build muscle tone. If you incorporate hip hop dance into your exercise routine, you may experience an increase in your energy level and an improvement in your overall physical fitness.
Increases Stamina and Endurance
Hip hop dance increases your stamina and endurance. It requires you to move and change positions at an extremely fast pace. This constant motion helps build endurance and increases your aerobic capacity.
Tones the Abdominals and Strengthens the Core
Hip hop requires you to contract and expand the abdominal muscles in a series of quick but fluid movements. These motions work the upper and lower abs and the obliques and strengthen your entire core.
Aids Weight Loss
Incorporating hip hop dance into your routine can help you manage your weight. Aerobic hip hop can burn up to 500 calories per hour. Hip hop also boosts your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories in less time.
Strengthens the Heart
Hip hop dance is a great cardio workout. Dancing on a regular basis can help you strengthen your heart muscles, improve your lung function and boost your energy level. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers. Intense cardio exercises, like hip hop dance, can improve sleep patterns and provide relief from psychological stress.
Hip hop dance can be a great way to exercise while having fun. With a few simple steps you may find yourself at an improved fitness level and in better shape.
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