Eight Great Health Benefits of Dancing

Seven Great Health Benefits of Dancing

This fun activity can be a great way to help your heart and stay in shape.

Each Monday night, lots of Americans sitting down on their couches to watch their favorite celebrities dancing with the Stars and break a sweat on. And aside from offering entertainment, all those fox trots and sambas add up to some serious cardio. The evidence is in the weight loss. Each season, we've seen some remarkable health transformation, from Kirstie Alley to Kelly Osbourne.

Although the hours of continues training week after week surely have something to do with the number of pounds shed, the truth is that dancing actually has some unique benefits that can't be attained with other types of exercise.

So this week we challenge you to channel your favorite DWTS star and bust a move yourself -- even if it's just in the comfort of your own living room. For inspiration, we gathered up eight reasons why dance does a body good.

It's Fun!

"If exercise is not an enjoyable experience, we're not going to do it," Comana says. And the bottom line is that dancing is, plain and simple, fun in the way a monotonous treadmill run probably never will be. Plus, busting a move can trigger the release of feel good hormones like serotonin and endorphins.

 "People think, 'I'm not exercising, I'm dancing,'" he says. "But at the end of the day, you're moving and you're burning calories. It's just as good as a cardio class."

"This will push you to move for a longer period of time than typical exercise, purely because it's a lot of fun and not the dreaded word 'exercise,'" she told The Huffington Post. "Dance inspires people to get in shape with something they love to do, which doesn't feel like dreaded exercise or a bad chore, but fun and exhilarating.

And, as Mallet explains, not only will you be more likely to stick with a fitness routine if it's fun, but you'll also want to do it for longer.

It's Social

As much as we all love to dance when there's nobody watching, there's something irresistible about dancing with other people, whether it's with a partner or a class-full of fellow booty shakers.

"Group fitness is seeing a surge in popularity because of Zumba," Comana says. And working out in a class can help to up the difficulty level and increase accountability.

Anyone Can Do It

"There is a dancer in all of us," Mallett says, "and when we move our body to the music we naturally smile and want to keep moving."

Nervous about dancing in front of people? Start out in your own living room, moving to a song you just can't resist.

"The nice thing about dance is that it's inclusive," Comana says. "Exercise is not inclusive, some people feel like they don't have the skill set and they're embarrassed ... I think anyone can just start to dance and enjoy the experience."

And don't let two left feet keep you from joining in on the fun.

"Don't get intimidated because you feel like you're not a good dancer. Who cares?" Mallett says. "It's about you moving your body in your way not like the rest of the people in the class. Zone out and focus on how great you feel and that no one is judging your abilities."

It Can Keep Your Brain Sharp

We've all heard by now that mental activities like reading and playing games can help to keep your brain sharp and even stave off dementia later in life. But, according to one study, so can dancing.

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that getting footloose on a regular basis is linked with a 76 percent reduction in dementia risk, about as much as playing board games or a musical instrument. Other physical activities, such as bicycling, walking and doing housework, weren't associated with any decreased risk.

It's Gentle on the Body

Unlike more traditional cardio, which is very structured and vigorous, dancing is more free flowing, allowing you to adjust the tempo when your body needs a break, Comana explains. 

"What I like about dance is dance is free flowing," he says. "It's less traumatic on the body ... You don't have to worry about going hard, you can always slow down."

The wide variety of moves (anyone up for the robot?) that we bust out when boogying down can actually be a lifesaver for your body, as you're avoiding the wear and tear of repetitive motions.

"It's not so repetitive as we're constantly combining exercises together in different combinations and developing fun innovative moves that you typically would not find in low impact cardio aerobic classes," Mallett says.

It Can Improve Your Balance

Each year, one out of three adults over the age of 65 will fall, according to the CDC. One thing that could help? Strapping on your dancing shoes.

"It is well worth the elderly putting their favorite music on at home and having a little jig," study researcher Tracey Howe, of Glasgow Caledonian University, told the telegraph.

A recent research review found that dancing, as well as carrying objects while walking, can help to improve balance and ultimately reduce dangerous falls, the Huffington Post reported when the findings were first release.

You Don't Need Any Equipment

Interested in starting up a dance-based fitness routine? You really don't need a thing to get started.

"The easiest solution is to put on your favorite music and move your body in your living room, which alone will burn lots of calories," Mallett says. "For a more structured workout buy an exercise dance DVD."

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