10 Benefits Of Dancing

From Dancescape (http://www.dancescape.org/), Barbara Craddock writes about 10 benefits of dancing:

1. Forever young. Dancing is tremendously beneficial in keeping us young. It retards the aging process. It benefits our heart, cardiovascular system and increases our lung capacity. The muscle exertion and breathing rates of dancers performing in one dance competition is equivalent to those of cyclists, swimmers and an Olympic-level 800-meter runner.
2. Strong bones, lubricated joints. Dance aids in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, which is a major concern for women, especially during post-menopause because of the significant drop in estrogen that occurs at this stage. A decrease in our estrogen levels stops calcium from being absorbed into our bones. Dance also keeps joints lubricated, which helps prevent arthritis.
3. Calorie blaster. Dance exercises our bodies to allow for increased circulation. It helps us burn calories while improving our stamina. Dance burns from 5 to 10 calories per minute depending on speed and intensity. For example, swing and mambo burn more calories than a slow waltz.
4. Better blood. New research has discovered that it is necessary to measure both good and bad cholesterol levels when determining our health. Dancing aids in lipid control, which raises our HDL (good cholesterol), and lowers our LDL (bad cholesterol). Dancing is also great for diabetics because it aids in blood sugar control.
5. Mental mastery. Dance improves our memory by making us recall steps, routines and dance patterns making it a great mental exercise for our brains. The big benefit is that increasing mental exercise keeps your mind young, quick, alert and open.
6. It's all about balance. Balancing yourself in one position may be easy, but balancing in the numerous types of positions involved in dancing is much more difficult. Dancers have mastered the ability to balance themselves in a number of positions. This strengthens our stabilizer muscles, while protecting our core and keeping us less prone to injury in our daily lives. Dancing also aids in coordination and helps strengthen our reflexes. It is a great way to keep our central nervous system in tip-top shape by improving the connection of our bodies to our mind.
7. Socially satisfying. Dancing is recreational and entertaining. It creates a social life for us, while affording us the opportunity to make new friends. Friends helps us grow, make us laugh and support us as we learn.
8. Culturally diverse. Dancing has no cultural barriers. People from all parts of the world, with different ideologies, meet on the dance floor. Cultural interaction improves our health by expanding our mind and sharing our spirit!
9. Groomed to perfection. Dancing is not only fun and romantic, but it helps promote good grooming because everybody wants to look his or her best while they dance.
10. A happy self. Dance elevates our mood by raising our endorphin levels. This is what allows us to heal stress and depression — two of our immune system's biggest enemies! It helps us establish our self-confidence and self-discipline. It improves the harmony between our mind and body, giving us a sense of well-being.