It’s been a month and the party’s over. Actually, all of the parties are over. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s. All done. And they may have left behind a bit of a mess for you to clean up, right around your waist line.
A cookie here, some eggnog there, a few holidays treats in between, and voila – five pounds (or more) have mysteriously taken up residence on your body.
Did you know that you could lose anywhere from one to three pounds a week by dancing? It’s true! More and more empirical evidence points to the value of ballroom dance as part of your weight reduction regimen. And there’s no better place to do that than at Fred Astaire Dance Studios! But… as you likely already knew – dancing alone won’t do it.
Let’s start with the good part, though. According to fitday.com, ballroom dance is an excellent way to begin trimming down! You should strive for at least 20 minutes of dance time with an accelerated heart rate, at least four to five times per week. You should begin with a five-minute warm-up and end with a five-minute cool-down to help prepare your muscles and prevent injury. So in all, to achieve results you should commit to at least 30 minutes of time, four to five times a week.
Now comes the tougher part. As fitday.com explains it: “It’s important to avoid increasing your caloric intake when you start your dancing exercise program. If you add more calories, you’ll either maintain or gain weight. Your body might want more calories because you’ll be increasing your metabolism. You can count calories and use measuring cups and spoons or you can just make a log of exactly what you are eating and then replicate it in the weeks following. You can also focus on food groups and food exchanges to track your calories while eyeing amounts instead of measuring them.” Livestrong.com agrees, adding that ballroom dance is also great for strength training, and can aid in balance, coordination, self-confidence and memory. Click here to browse even more benefits of dance – physical, mental and social.
So, now that you know how easy, convenient and fun it can be to lose weight with ballroom dance, we’re all going to dance a lot more, eat a little less and get back to being our trim & confident selves. Right? Great! Contact Fred Astaire Dance Studios today to get started. We look forward to dancing with you soon.