Excercise Your Body, Mind, and Soul Through Dancing

Are you looking for an activity to keep your body fit, your mind sharp, and your spirits high? Try dancing.

Dancing is great for your body. Medical professionals agree that engaging in any type of dancing will help you lose weight, lower your risk of heart disease, and improve your flexibility, balance, and posture. You will strengthen your core (abdominals and back), as well as your arms, legs, and buttocks without putting a lot of stress on your joints.

Since dancing is a weight bearing exercise, it also builds bones. About.com’s Carol Eustice explains why this is so important: “Weight bearing exercise is essential for building and maintaining healthy bones. Weight bearing exercise is any activity you do while on your feet and legs that works your muscles and bones against gravity. During weight bearing exercise, bone adapts to the impact of weight and the pull of muscle by building more bone cells. Consequently, bone becomes stronger and more dense.”

Dancing is great for your brain too. When you dance, your brain produces chemicals that stimulate the growth of nerve cells, explains Richard Powers, an instructor at Stanford University’s Dance Division. This is especially important later in life, when nerve and brain cells start to die off if you do not use them. Learning new dance steps and interacting with a partner increases your brain power and improves memory skills, protecting you from diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Best of all, dancing is fun! Moving to music, learning new skills, and making social connections reduce stress and lift your mood. Dancing energizes you, builds your confidence, and makes you feel strong and young. Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Charlotte and Lake Norman, NC offer a wide variety of programs to people of all ages and abilities. Their professional staff will help you choose a dance style that is perfect for you.

Read More:

 The Healing Powers of Dance, Christina Ianzito

Dancing Your Way to Better Health, Miranda Hitti

 Use It or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter, Richard Powers