Dance your way to better health
When you dance with your heart, your hands and feet will follow
Published:Wednesday | July 26, 2023 | 12:05 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
EXERCISE IS good for your body and your brain! Sticking to a regular workout plan can be tough, but including activity in your routine does not have to be boring. Scientists have found that the areas of the brain that control memory and skills such as planning and organising improve with exercise.
Dance has the added dimensions of rhythm, balance, music, and a social setting that enhances the benefits of simple movement, and can be fun! Dance can be graceful and slow, just swaying to the music, or dance can be rhythmic and fast like a full body workout. It all depends on the music. Either way, dance is a fun way to exercise and get that body moving.
There are many health benefits of dancing. Like most forms of exercise, dancing has physical, psychological and social advantages, and can help people live the healthiest lives possible.
According to Henroy Whitton, owner and director at CARIBCOR, the physical benefits of dancing include improving balance and coordination, better overall motor performance, increased cardiovascular health and muscle strength, and improved bone health. Dancing also helps to prevent illnesses.
“Dance and exercise are good for cardiovascular health and weight control. Any low-impact movement that gets the heart rate up exercises the heart muscle and burns calories. Dance can have the same health benefits as a treadmill, and it is more fun,” Whitton said.
Studies have shown that exercise such as dancing sparks improved psychological and mental health. All forms of exercise reduce stress and improve mood. Dance, as exercise, can be beneficial to chronic conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Research shows that dance can help decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve psychological well-being. Research published in 2019 in Frontiers in Psychology found that dance movement therapy (DMT), as defined by the American Dance Therapy Association, is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being.
“It is also an enjoyable activity for many people, whether you choose to dance in the comfort of your own living room or prefer the social side of things by participating in lessons,” Whitton said.
“All types of dancing will provide health and fitness benefits. It is a good idea to consider your individual goals and likes, as this will guide you in determining the style of dancing and appropriate amount of activity to complete,” he added.
In order to keep enjoying the benefits of exercise, people need to move to the beat as often as possible. This can be done at home or with friends in a social setting. Dancing is always more fun with a friend or loved one, and it is a great way to meet new people with similar interests or tastes in music.
“You do not have to be the greatest dancer. Good dancers are made. Dancing is the closest thing to magic. You can engage in some kind of movement and start from the basic. It is like poetry to the feet. Dancing is the joy of movement and the heart of life,” Whitton said.
If you have had a tough day, you can crank up your favourite tunes and blow off some steam. Any type of movement can help bust stress. Research published in The International Journal on the Biology of Stress, for example, found that DMT also impacted the cortisol awakening response, a marker of chronic stress, while high- intensity aerobic activity did not.
“Dance is enjoyable and helps with mental and physical state. It can bring you joy when you just dance,” Whitton said.
SOURCE: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention