Dancing is without a doubt one of the most popular things to do on the planet. In the United States alone, there are tens of thousands of professional dancers and choreographers. Add to this the millions and millions of people other people dancing, and you have a lot of people moving and shaking! Whether you are just a weekend warrior who likes dancing at the nightclub or are decked out in your gear as a member of a dance team, dancing is a blast.
However, in addition to being a fun pastime, job or hobby, dance has many other benefits, as well. One of the most underrated benefits of dance is that in addition to being fun, it can also be a great way for you to stay in shape. Not only do people dance for fitness, but many will actually use dance-inspired workouts in their day to day lives.
With that in mind, this article is going to look at some of the many benefits of infusing your workout routine with a few dance-inspired workouts and exercises.
They Are Often More Fun:
For many people, the thing that is keeping them from working out on a regular basis is simply that they are not motivated or excited about it. If you find working out boring and a “task” it will be hard to do it, no matter how good you know it is for you. However, doing something fun involving dance or dance-like workouts often takes less convincing and motivating.
To many people, dancing is much more fun than simply lifting weights or running on a treadmill. They get you up, get you listening to upbeat music and often get you working with a larger group of people, which makes it easier to keep at it and stay motivated.
There is Something For Everyone:
Now we know what you might be thinking. “But what if I don’t know how to dance well, how will I be able to use dance-inspired workouts?” Well, the great news is that these types of workouts can be done by everyone, not only seasoned dancers.
See, they’re often not full-on dance routines, more often than not they are a workout with a few elements of dance such as movement or stretching. Also, there is a wide range of different types of dancing and dancing-related workouts. Some will be more difficult, while some will be quite easy.
Some will also give you a much harder workout while some will be relatively simple and light. Simply do a little bit of reading or try out some different ones and see which you prefer and which provide you with the best results.
They Can Work Your Whole Body:
When most people work out, they do so by breaking up their workouts into different sections, such as arms, legs, shoulders, abs etc… This involves a variety of different machines, exercises and normally only exercising certain body parts a few times a week at most. This is fine for some, but others might not want to spend the time working out each part of their body independently.
However, these dance-inspired workouts will often have a variety of different movements and resistance techniques all rolled into one routine. As a result, you will be working out your entire body and also doing cardio, without having to break up your routine into several different parts like most who do traditional workouts must.
They Can Improve Your Heart Health:
Dance and workouts with elements of dance included in them are great for those who are at risk for cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that even as little as an hour of dancing per week helped those with cardiac conditions to improve.
Even if you aren’t at risk for heart disease, dancing-focused workouts can still be great for your heart. It can help lower your risk, get the blood pumping and is definitely more fun for most people than other types of cardio like running. As you could imagine, there are also several other physical benefits of dance-inspired workouts, such as decreasing blood pressure, improving bone density, improving flexibility and aid in weight reduction.
They Can Improve Your Mood and Memory:
In addition to the physical benefits that can come from a dance-inspired workout, there are also several psychological benefits to be experienced, too. Because it is generally enjoyable and fun, many people who dance a lot claim it helps to reduce stress and can improve mood and confidence.
Because of the fact it is lifting your spirit, dancing has also been known to help diminish the effects of depression. Also, research has shown that dancing can help you age gracefully. Dancing may reduce your chances of having dementia and can assist in improving your memory.
In conclusion, hopefully, this article has been able to help you discover the many benefits of dance as a workout. Whether you decide to do full dance routines or just implement a bit of the movement into your workouts, dance definitely has a value in helping you stay fit.
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