5 health benefits of dancing

  • Sol Rivero

Happy International Dance Day! Did you know that dancing improves not only your body but also your mind? So put on your favorite music, take your dancing shoes, and celebrate! But first, check out the top 5 health benefits of dancing you might not know about!

 

Health benefit of dancing #5: It helps controlling your weight

An intense dance workout is a great and fun way of losing weight. Moving your body to the beat of the music will make you sweat and get rid of plenty of extra calories. According to the latest studies, half an hour of a dance workout can burn as many calories as other aerobic activities such as walking or swimming, so if you want to try a fun way of losing weight, then perhaps enlisting in dance lessons might be the perfect choice for you.

 

Health benefit of dancing #4: It helps your bones and muscles

By stretching, jumping and keeping your body in constant movement, the flexibility of your muscles increases, fighting off stiffness and improving their strength. Dancing can also affect your bones in a positive way by strengthening them and preventing problems such as osteoporosis. It’s recommended as an alternative exercise for rehabilitating the body after a surgery, and also as a way of preventing and diminishing the effects of decay derived from aging.  

 

Health benefit of dancing #3: It helps your heart

Dancing is a great activity which requires a lot of cardiovascular action. Engaging in intense dance workout sessions regularly will improve your body’s resistance, your levels of energy, your breathing, and even help diminish your levels of cholesterol and stabilize your blood pressure. Dancing is recommended for people at risk of heart diseases, as well as those interested in preventing them.

 

Health benefit of dancing #2: It’s a natural stress-reliever

There’s a reason why dancing is part of most of our celebrations. Dancing can help you loosen up, distract you from your problems, and release chemicals that will help you relax as well as boosting up your mood. Dancing is a stress-relieving activity, and it’s also great for fighting depression, since it involves socializing and improving you self-esteem.

 

Health benefit of dancing #1: It makes your mind healthier

Recent studies have found that dancing regularly is the only physical activity which can protect you against mind diseases such as dementia. Apparently, this type of exercise can slow volume loss in the hippocampus, which controls memory; while constant movement also improves cognitive development, especially since free-style dancing requires making quick decisions which keep your brain active.    

 

 

You might also like:

 

Sources:
About.com. Top 4 health benefits of dance. http://dance.about.com/od/danceandyourhealth/tp/Health-Benefits.htm
Everyday Health. 9 health benefits of dance. http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-pictures/health-benefits-of-dance.aspx#/slide-1
LearntoDance.com. Health benefits of dance. http://www.learntodance.com/health%20benefits%20of%20dance.htm
Stanford. Use it or lose it: dancing makes you smarter. http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm
Loading...