Now that the holidays are over, you can finally take some time to relax — no more hustle and bustle of baking and gift wrapping, decorating and shopping. The new year is here, and it’s time to take care of yourself after all the stresses of the holiday season. Make health your New Year’s resolution this year. It’s easy to do with ballroom dance!

Fitness goals are some of the most common New Year’s resolutions that people make. In fact, losing weight is typically the No. 1 New Year’s resolution in the U.S.! However, resolutions can be hard to keep, and most people give up on their resolution after just a few months. The good news is that ballroom dancing is a fun way to achieve good health, making it much less likely that you’ll give up on your goal.

Here are some ways ballroom dance can help you accomplish your 2016 fitness goals:

If your goal is weight loss:

Ballroom dance can help you shed some serious pounds. It keeps you in constant movement, no matter what pace you’re going, so it’s impossible not to burn lots of calories while dancing! Depending on the dance, you can burn anywhere between 70 and 150 calories in one 30-minute dance session. Do this several times a week (in addition to eating a healthy diet), and you’ll see the pounds dropping in no time.

If your goal is to become more toned:

You can put those boring weights down now. That’s because ballroom dance uses almost every muscle in the body! Your legs, your arms, your back — with ballroom dance you’re using it all, depending on the complexity of the dance. You will come out of your lessons feeling confident in the way your body looks and feels.

If your goal is to simply lead a more active lifestyle:

The thing about ballroom dancing is, it’s fun! If you find an activity you enjoy, you are so much more likely to continue doing it. Ever noticed how the gym is packed in January, but those numbers seem to go down every week? That’s because for a lot of people, machines in a gym aren’t exciting enough to keep them coming back for more. By finding something active that you enjoy, you’ll find yourself actually craving that physical activity instead of dreading it.

Whatever your fitness goals are for 2016, ballroom dance can help you reach them. Visit our website to find out how you can get started today!