Dance Lessons with Robert
Why should I specifically learn Ballroom Dancing instead of some other activity?
Because, “It’s just plain good for you!”
There are any number of physical and/or social interests that would give you many of the benefits similar to Ballroom Dancing.
The difference?
Ballroom Dancing will give you ALL the other activities benefits collectively!
Whatever health, physical or social benefit you can think to name from ANY OTHER sport you will find the same benefit in Ballroom Dancing.
But is this true of any type of dancing?
In a word: "No!"
All types of dancing do not have the same benefits. As with other sports and activities different types of Dancing will have some of the benefits of Ballroom Dancing but not all in one.
There are such a number of these benefit I have listed, only a fraction of them, on three separate pages: (Click the benefit to see)
Everything about Ballroom Dancing is positive!
There are as many reasons for people taking up Ballroom Dancing as there are people but one commonality is to learn something special and have FUN!
Recently I read an article on the Internet about how much exercise one “should do” to lose weight and/or maintain a health body.
It was shocking!
According to Statistic Canada the recommended amount was:
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2 hours of light aerobics a week,
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1 hour of vigorous aerobics a week and
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15 minutes of walking or jogging a day.
There is a DOWN SIDE to this that Exercise Program would prefer you didn't know. (Click to find out)
Dancing Verses Exercise.
A UCLA journal on health listed only 2 exercise programs that work the entire body at an even pace for highest benefits: swimming and social dancing.
Why Ballroom Dancing?
Dancing pairs you up with more than a partner. From burning calories to socializing with friends, dancing offers these health benefits:
Calories - Dancing can burn as many calories as walking, swimming or riding a bicycle. During a half hour of sustained dancing you can burn between 200 and 400 calories. One factor that determines how many calories you'll expend is distance. In one study, researchers attached pedometers to square dancers and found each person covered nearly five miles in a single evening.
Cardiovascular conditioning - Regular exercise can lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and an improved cholesterol profile (see Medical Essay, June 1991). Experts typically recommend 30 to 40 minutes of continuous activity three to four times a week. Dancing may not provide all the conditioning you need, but it can help. The degree of cardiovascular conditioning depends on how vigorously you dance, how long you dance continuously and how regularly you do it.
Strong bones - The side-to-side movements of many dances strengthen your weight bearing bones (tibia, fibula and femur) and can help prevent or slow loss of bone mass (osteoporosis).
Rehabilitation - If you're recovering from heart or knee surgery, movement may be part of your rehabilitation. Dancing is a positive alternative to aerobic dance or jogging.
Sociability - Dancing contains a social component that solitary fitness endeavors don't. It gives you an opportunity to develop strong social ties which contribute to self-esteem and a positive outlook (see Mayo Clinic Health Letter, September 1992).
Would you like to dance?
Tomorrow night when you consider settling down for a little television, turn on the music instead. After a few spins around the living room, you'll have so much fun you may forget you're exercising.
The following is a reprinted from January, 1994, Mayo Clinic Health Letter with permission of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education & Research, Rochester, MN 55905