According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, social dancing provides the body
with many health benefits. It may help reduce stress, increase energy, and
improve strength, muscle tone, and coordination. Dancing can also burn as
many calories as walking or riding a bike. Studies have shown that taking a
one hour ballet class can burn up to 300 calories!
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recognizes the '
benefits of dance in lowering coronary heart disease risk, decreasing
blood pressure, and managing weight. Another plus of dancing is that
the weight bearing movements of your steps can strengthen the bones
of your legs and hips, important for maintaining bone health as you age.
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. While more advanced dancers get cardio benefits from their dance
training, beginners and those at intermediate stages should add another
heart-friendly activity to balance their workout routine. If you're going to
one or two ballet classes a week, complement that, twice a week,
with taking a good 15- to 20-minute power walk around your
neighborhood, or some other aerobic activity.
One 21-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (attached)
even 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!
Interestingly, dancing was the only physical activity out of 11 in the study
hat was associated with a lower risk of dementia. Said Joe Verghese, a
neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a lead researcher
of the study, "This is perhaps because dance music engages the dancer's
mind."
Verghese 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 and working with a partner,
both of which provide mental challenges that are crucial for brain health.
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