Dance Offers So Many Benefits!

BALLROOM DANCE IS A GREAT WORK-OUT!

Boost Metabolism and Lose Weight.
Ballroom dancing is a low-impact aerobic activity that burns fat and boosts your metabolism. In just under thirty minutes of dance, you can work off between 200-400 calories – that’s about the same amount that you’d lose running or cycling! Burning about 300 calories a day can help you lose between ½-1 pound every week, which can add up rather quickly. In fact, a study published by the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that dancing as an exercise is just as effective for weight loss as cycling and jogging. Dance training is also an effective form of maintenance exercise, allowing you to stay healthy, toned, and fit once you’ve reached your goal weight. Finally, since ballroom dance is so much fun, you’ll receive all these benefits without feeling like you’re working out!

Increase Flexibility.
Most ballroom dance instructors will start class with targeted stretches and warm-ups that will help you dance with ease and comfort. However, these exercises also have another purpose – to protect against dance-related injuries. Over time, newcomers to ballroom dance will find that their range of motion and general flexibility improves. Every day, they will find that their movements become more fluid as their balance and core strength improves. Joint pain and muscle soreness after any kind of physical exertion may be alleviated, as well. Some instructors also recommend yoga and ballet stretches as pre-dance warm-ups, too, but we recommend asking your Fred Astaire Dance Studios instructor about the warm-up that would work best for you.

Increase Muscle Strength & Endurance.
In any style of dance, a dancer must work both with and against their own body weight to perform. This actually provides an effective form of resistance exercise. The use of common ballroom dance moves like quick steps, lifts, twists, and turns will help you strengthen the muscles in your arms, legs, and core every time you attend a class. At the same time, you’ll be developing the endurance to dance or exert yourself in any other physical activity longer and harder than you could before. After studying dance for some time, you’ll both see and feel a stronger, more toned, and sexier you.

Great for Everyone.
Anyone from children to senior citizens can enjoy ballroom dance and receive its physical and mental health benefits. At Fred Astaire Dance Studios, our instructors have experience working with individuals of all ages, physical capabilities, and skill levels. We’re here to help you achieve your specific dance and exercise goals. To that end, our instructors will create a custom-tailored dance program that will fulfill your needs while pushing you to new heights.

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PHYSICAL HEALTH

Ballroom dance has physical benefits beyond strength and fitness, as well. Consistent participation in this form of dance and improve cardiovascular health by decreasing cholesterol and blood pressure. It can also strengthen bones while preventing or slowing the bone loss that accompanies osteoporosis. On top of that, ballroom dance can even lower the risks of diabetes and obesity. Can you think of any one medication that can do all that? The low-impact nature of this form of dance as an exercise also make it an effective way for seniors to work on their stability and balance, safeguarding against stumbles and falls. All these benefits can be gained with just 30 minutes of dance practice four times a week.

MENTAL HEALTH

According to a study from the New England Journal of Medicine, dance is one of the only activities that both improves cardiovascular fitness while mitigating the risk of cognitive impairments like dementia. In a more immediate sense, the mental and physical exercise of dance helps people improve their memory, awareness, alertness, focus, and concentration. Besides the clear benefits for seniors, ballroom dance can also significantly help young people struggling with mood disorders like stress, anxiety, or depression. Although the act of dancing in itself provides many of these benefits, there’s no denying the mood-enhancing power of a goal-oriented social activity that brings like-minded people together.

CONFIDENCE

Whenever you participate in ballroom dance, no matter the context, you’re working on your confidence, ability to coordinate with others, and your general comfort level in social settings. In turn, you’ll nurture a sense of accomplishment and innate motivation that will only continue to grow the more you practice. If you keep at it, you’ll start to notice that these uplifting emotions and the positive attitude that comes with it will spread throughout other areas of your life.

SELF-EXPRESSION & CREATIVITY

Dancing comes naturally to people, and it’s an easy activity for anyone to partake in. Dance provides an emotional outlet to express your feelings through body movements, with passion and flair. Ballroom dancing can be a wonderful creative outlet to enhance your ability to permanently use these expressive qualities even when you are not dancing, and to share that creativity with others. After only a few lessons, you will start to find yourself moving more and more seamlessly through your dance steps, while you get lost in the music. You will unlock a beautiful rhythm your body may have been hiding. It can also help with your motivation and energy.

STRESS & DEPRESSION

In today’s fast-paced world, we sometimes forget to take a moment for ourselves. Dance lessons provide an enjoyable escape from your normal daily routine, plus a chance to relax, relieve stress, and concentrate just on yourself. Our students often tell us that even if they’re “not feeling it” when they arrive for a lesson, once they stretch and start dancing, they’re able to forget about the day’s triggers, simply b-r-e-a-t-h-e and let the dance take over. There’s also a growing body of evidence to indicate that dancing has a positive effect on the treatment and prevention of depression.

• Participating in group activities like ballroom dance lessons enhances your sense of connection of others, which is critical to staving off depression and anxiety.
• In many ways, practicing dance is similar to practicing mindfulness meditation, which also has many proven health benefits. Like mindfulness meditation, dance requires you to focus your full attention on the present moment. This helps you disengage from negative thought patterns that form a feedback cycle with mood disorders like depression or anxiety. For people that aren’t interested in traditional meditation, ballroom dance can achieve some of the same ends.
• Dancing as an exercise releases endorphins in your body, which lowers the levels of stress hormones. You’ll experience a sense of alert calm while improving your mood.
• Finally, as a treatment for anxiety or depression, people are more likely to keep up with ballroom dance than some more traditional forms of therapy, naturally increasing its effectiveness.

SOCIAL FUN & FRIENDSHIP

One of the best aspects of ballroom dancing is its ability to bring people together. Ballroom dance lessons offer you a great opportunity to expand your social circle, build connections and engage with people in a low-pressure environment, where there are no expectations. It’s perfect for younger singles who want to step up their dating game, couples looking to reconnect, and for adults interested in discovering something new and inspiring, just for them. Learning to dance does take focus and dedication, but you will be surrounded and encouraged by artistic, positive and cheerful people who make learning enjoyable and rewarding. In group lessons, weekly practice parties, regional and national competitions and studio events and outings, you’ll meet a melting pot of people of all ages, with varied cultural and occupational backgrounds. And the best part? Since they all share your passion for dance, these meetings often transition into lasting friendships. At Fred Astaire Dance Studios, we are truly proud of the supportive, welcoming and warm environment you’ll find in every one of our studios.

So why not try it out? Come alone or with your dance partner. Learn something new, make new friends, and reap numerous health and social benefits… all from merely learning to dance. Call today and join us for some FUN!