Dancing Is Not Only Fun...But Healthy Too!

From examiner.com:

By Debbie Gisonni

I thought I would honor National Dance Day with a reminder that dancing is not only loads of fun, but extremely healthy. Did you know you can burn as many calories dancing as you can swimming, running or riding a bike? Depending on the dance and the intensity—200 to 600 calories per hour.

Dancing improves flexibility, strength, balance, endurance and coordination. It reduces stress, heart disease, blood pressure and weight. Because it’s often a social activity, it helps elevate your mood. It’s also one of the few exercises you can do that is both weight bearing and aerobic. Just watch a few episodes of “Dancing with the Stars”, and you’ll see how difficult and exhausting dancing really is. The pros make it look so easy, but dancing uses muscles you never knew you had.

You don’t need to rush out and sign up for ballroom dance classes—especially if that’s not your thing. You know what kind of music and moves you like. It doesn’t matter what style dancing you prefer—ballroom, jazz, tap, salsa, belly dancing, hip hop, disco, square dancing or just dancing around your house alone (which I often do to change up my work-out)—any dancing will be fun and healthy. Just turn on the music and start moving to the beat!