Health Benefits Of Dance
Dancing makes you smarter by Richard Powers
Anti-Ageing Benefits of Dancing © 2003 The Washington Post Company
The Health Benefits Of Dancing By Wendy Innes Published:August 8, 2012
Health Benefits of Dancing By an eHow Contributor
DANCING FOR HEALTH…..PHYSICAL, MENTAL & EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
Those of us who are already line dancers know the benefits. It isn’t simply getting some exercise. While many may start out with the intention of taking a session of classes for eight weeks, many more find themselves becoming addicted to line dancing because they love the music, the confidence that grows from mastering a dance, the friendships that start to form and more. If you’re someone contemplating joining a line dance class, below are some great reasons. For those of you already line dancing, know that you’re doing one of the best activities you can for total body wellness.
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 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! Physical activities like playing tennis or golf, swimming, bicycling, dancing, walking for exercise and doing housework were also studied. One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but the focus of this study was the mind. There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing which lowered the risk by a dramatic 76 percent. Of all the physical activities, dancing involved the most mental effort.
Reading – 35% reduced risk of dementia
Bicycling and swimming – 0%
People who played the hardest gained the most: For example, seniors who did crossword puzzles four days a week had a 47% lower risk of dementia than those who did the puzzles once a week. Playing golf – 0% Dancing frequently – 76%!
Why dancing? Our brain constantly rewires its neural pathways, as needed. If it doesn’t need to, then it won’t. Why is dancing better than other activities for improving mental capabilities? We increase our mental capacity by exercising our cognitive processes. Intelligence: Use it or lose it . The essence of intelligence is making decisions. And the concluding advice, when it comes to improving your mental acuity, is to involve yourself in activities which require split-second rapid-fire decision making, as opposed to rote memory (retracing the same well-worn paths), or just working on your physical style. One way to do that is to learn something new. Take a class to challenge your mind. It will stimulate the connectivity of your brain by generating the need for new pathways. Difficult and even frustrating classes are better for you, as they will create a greater need for new neural pathways. A dance class can be even better. Dancing integrates several brain functions at once, increasing connectivity. Dancing simultaneously involves kinesthetic, rational, musical and emotional processes. Dance often! If you can’t take classes or go out dancing four times a week, dance as much as you can. More is better. And do it now, the sooner the better. It’s essential to start building your cognitive reserve now.
Joe Verghese who conducted the study 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 which provides 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.
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:
Swing dancing: 235 calories/hour
Ballroom dancing: 265
Square dancing: 280
Ballet: 300
Belly dancing: 380
Salsa dancing: 420+
Aerobic dancing: 540+
Medical researchers have reported that dancing helps to:
Reduce stress
Increase energy
Improve strength
Increase muscle tone and coordination
Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
Decrease blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels
Help you manage your weight
Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips
Condition the body
Helps keep the heart in shape
Builds and increases stamina
Develops the circulatory system
Increases flexibility and balance
Keeps you mentally fit
Provides cardiovascular conditioning
Strengthens bones
Helps you develop strong social ties. Physical benefits aside, dancing has a way of brightening up a person’s day
THE GOODNESS OF LINE DANCING
Quoted from UK’s Linedancer Magazine, September 2006 Issue, “Line Dancing improves stamina, muscle tone and coordination, is a great stress buster and energy booster. Good for posture, strength, mobility in the lower back, and toning calves and thighs. The British Heart Association says it is very beneficial to health and is recommended by doctors, invigorates all the major organs from the brain right down to the toes. Line dancers can cover around five miles of ground in one evening,”
Dancing – it’s who I am, it’s what I do, it’s my life
“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back.”
Comments
I have been Line-Dancing for 20 years. I love it. It is enjoyable because it adds so much fun and excitement, so many friends, places to go, good Music, Parties, new dances all the time and all the good exercise that we get. and you don’t need a partner……..
May I copy and distribute the article “Health Benefits to Line Dance” at a Seniors center if I give your website full reference? It’s an excellent article.
Hello,there I believe that line dancing is a enjoyment to all of us and I think we should line at my school and take it to the next level we all can stop laying around in dance
It was a pleasure discovering your site this morning
Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.:)