Exercise – you either love it, tolerate it, or hate it. But everybody needs to exercise. It’s necessary for physical, mental, and emotional health. In fact, studies have shown that people who are battling depression do much better when they exercise. Some exercises improve your balance, which is crucial throughout the aging process. Many older people fall and break a bone because their responses are not fast enough to regain their balance if they take a misstep. If you are one of those people, though, who gets bored with exercise, maybe there is a better way. If you take up dance for a hobby, you can get in shape, make friends, and have fun, all at the same time!
Balance
Building good balance is more than just being able to move your feet quickly enough. Every step you take is a matter of thousands of minute muscle adjustments every second. Workouts in a gym build muscle strength and muscle tone. They burn calories, too. But, they don’t all work on your balance. So many workout stations are stationery. The weights travel up a cable and back down. The bicycle is fixed and doesn’t tip (thank goodness) as you ride. The rowing machine goes back and forth, but it is predictable, as is the stair stepper.
Dancing, however, moves you across the floor. You switch feet, even standing on different parts of your foot, changing directions and moving your upper body in different ways. All of this works on your nerve synapses, training your body to adjust quickly to the need to keep your balance. In fact, this can be one of the best exercises for people recovering from injury.
Dancewear
Dancewear can be crucial to your experience with dancing. Just as you need friction gloves when you lift weights, or shock absorbent runners for a marathon, the right dancewear can support your joints, feet, ankles and back to reduce strain. It will also wick moisture away, making your workout more comfortable. Some people love dancing just for the fashion Weston dancewear available on the market.
Cardio Workout
You can get just about anything from dancing that you put into it. If you want a real cardio-vascular workout, you can achieve the results you want. If you want a less strenuous workout, that can be done too. It’s all up to you. However you choose to move, you will find that your metabolism picks up and you feel better. You’ll be in better spirits, and stress levels will lower. Just as runners can get a runner’s high, you can get a dancer’s high.
Music
Some people choose the type of dancing they will do based on the music that accompanies it. Lovers of elegant classical music may prefer ballroom dancing or ballet. People who love jazz or hip hop will appreciate the particular style of dancing that goes with it. Being exposed to, and moving to this music can be just the boost you need to keep from being bored with your workout.