If you overindulged a little during the holidays, you aren’t alone. In fact, most people tend to gain weight during the holiday season, especially those who are already overweight. All that eating, drinking and being merry can really add to your waistline year after year. But now the holidays are over, and you may be looking to lose some of the excess pounds you gained. If you’re trying to find a fun way to lose weight, why not skip the gym and try ballroom dance instead? Here are some of the best dances for weight loss that happen to be much more fun than the treadmill.

Swing

According to a new study, during one 30-minute class swing dancers burn an average of 293 calories — that’s more than the calories burned in the same amount of time spent running, playing football or swimming! The more energy you burn, the more weight you lose, and in terms of weight loss, swing dance has most other exercises beat!

Jive

With lots of footwork involved, this fast-paced dance style will have your calves and glutes really feeling the burn! And not only will you be able to show off your amazing leg muscles, but you’ll be losing weight as well! All that jiving can have you burning almost 400 calories in just one hour of dancing.

Salsa

Latin styles of dance are great for weight loss as well, especially the Salsa. This fast-paced, high-energy dance will have you sweating in no time. The Salsa really works your lower half, meaning your abs, thighs and booty will look amazing, and all that cardio will keep you slim all over!

Quickstep

Are you really surprised that a dance called the Quickstep is a big calorie burner? You can expect lots of cardio from this fast-moving dance and lots of sweat! The quick movements will have your heart pumping in no time, which will work wonders on your waistline.

Merengue

Like the Salsa, this Latin dance incorporates lots of movement. The merengue is great for your core because you’ll be moving your hips while keeping the upper half of your body as steady as possible. This is a great partner dance for couples looking to lose some weight together!

So if you’re ready to lose that holiday weight, ballroom dance is great place to start! Fast, slow, easy and challenging, there are ballroom dances for all fitness and skill levels. And not to mention that ballroom dance works every major muscle group in your body. Talk about feeling the burn! Check out your local Fred Astaire Dance Studio to find out about our dance lesson packages.