Learn how dancing can improve your physical health and prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (and more benefits of dancing) by kicking up your heels at a Fred Astaire Dance Studios location.
Shorter days and longer nights make it easy to let your exercise routine lapse during the winter months. A study in The Journal of Sport and Health Science revealed 43.9 percent of respondents delay exercising in the winter because of the weather. To alleviate weather concerns, winter is an ideal time to find an exercise you enjoy doing indoors. Hopping on the treadmill or elliptical bike gets the job done when the weather conditions aren’t optimal, but the repetition and indoor scenery can get old.
If you are hoping to stay on track with your exercise this winter, dancing is a fun, entertaining way to achieve your fitness goals. Here are just a few of the physical health benefits of dancing.
Dancing Boosts Memory. Dancing helps improve the hippocampus region of the brain, which plays a role in memory, learning, and balance. Dancing requires you to commit steps to memory, exercising both your feet and your brain.
Studies reveal that ballroom dancing can help reduce the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain disease that impacts memory, thinking, and behavior. November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, which got its start in 1983 to help raise awareness for the disease.
Take a look at these seniors enjoying the benefits of dancing by reducing their risk of dementia and showcasing their dance skills in a flash mob at the Arlington County Fair in Virginia.
Dancing is Heart Healthy. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Every 36 seconds, one person in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease, the Centers for Disease Control reported. People with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack. Diabetes, smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity also increase the chances of suffering heart trouble. Ballroom dancing can burn calories and provide a fun way to get your steps. A study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine revealed moderate-intensity dancing is better than walking when it comes to reducing the risk of cardiovascular-related death.
High-energy Latin ballroom dances are a top choice for burning calories. Here, a couple performs a traditional salsa at an international dance competition.
Dancing Helps You Lose Weight. Ballroom dancing burns calories and can help you lose weight. It’s also a great option for people who reach a maintenance weight and want to prevent yo-yo dieting. Thirty minutes of dancing can help burn up to 400 calories, depending on the intensity of the dance.
Check out Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice sweating to the oldies in this high-energy performance on “Strictly Come Dancing,” a British dance competition show.
Dancing is a Low-Impact Workout. While physical activity is necessary for optimal health, many exercises can cause damage to joints over time. More than half of recreational runners suffer from an injury every year, Yale Medicine reported. Ballroom dancing is a low-impact, aerobic workout that is gentle on the joints and is ideal for people at all stages of their fitness journey. While Latin dances burn the most calories, Fred Astaire Dance Studios teaches a wide variety of dances in its local studios.
In this clip, dancers are taking it easy performing a rhumba as part of a dance-off on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Learn More About FADS
A Fred Astaire Dance Studios location near you offers private and group dance lessons in a warm, comfortable studio. Our instructors can help you meet your fitness goals in a welcoming atmosphere. Contact your local Fred Astaire Dance Studios location to learn more about our introductory offers.
