Dance Workouts: The Happy Way To Be Healthy!

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If there’s anything that we have learnt in recent times, it is the importance of good health. Also, a lot of us want to get into good shape and become fitter but struggle with an enjoyable way to do so. Thankfully, we have the boon of using dancing as an exercise with Dance Fitness workouts.

So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s give this amazing form of exercise and enjoyment a thorough look over!

Is dancing a good form of exercise?

Oh yes! A 30-minute dance session could help you burn anywhere between 150-300 calories, depending on the intensity of your movements. That’s almost as many calories as you would burn while jogging or cycling. The good thing about it is – no matter what your age, gender, or ethnicity – dancing is a form of workout that you are bound to enjoy and benefit from!

Most dance workouts can be categorized as LISS workouts – Low Intensity, Steady State. What this means is that intensity of the dancer’s movements can be low but are constant (in a Steady State) for a longer duration of time. These kind of workouts are especially great for people who are in the beginner phase of their exercise routine. It is particularly helpful for losing fat, burning calories, improving stamina, and reducing stress and symptoms of depression.

What is a Dance Fitness Workout?

Dance Fitness comes as a boon for all the people who love to dance but are not focused on intricate movements and choreography. It is a kind of exercise, mostly carried out as a group class but can also be done individually. These days, online dance classes are very popular because of the long COVID-19 lockdowns. Many trainers as well as fitness centres offer online dance classes that you can sign up for and take from the comfort of your home.

Dance Fitness Workouts are led by trained and certified professional trainers. The choreography is usually simple and enjoyable and can be performed by people of different age groups. The movements are not complex and can be modified in terms of intensity and mobility based on the fitness level of the person exercising. Zumba class is an example of it, but almost any dance form can be modified to fit into a dance fitness format.

Some of the popular dance fitness formats are bhangra classes, Bollywood dance workouts, Latin dance fitness classes,

Benefits of Dancing as an Exercise

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown managed to flip our lives over in many ways. We realized that the majority of people who maintained a healthy diet and an active lifestyle found it easier to control its symptoms and battle the illness better. This isn’t just true for the pandemic but our overall longevity.

Apart from immunity and recovery from illness, there’s another issue that many of us have observed in our lifestyles ever since the pandemic – obesity and weight gain! Whether you have felt it yourself, or have seen friends and family go through it – you know what we’re talking about is true!

Let’s list down a few direct benefits of dance fitness workouts:

1. Burn Calories, Shed Pounds

Dancing is a movement-intensive physical activity that mimics other forms of exercise. When you dance, your heart-rate increases. There is elevated cardio-pulmonary activity, which in simple words means that your heart and lungs work harder and faster. This leads to the consumption of stored energy in your body.

Based on the intensity of your dance workout, you may shed anywhere between 150-350 calories in a 30-minute session. Energetic dance forms like Bhangra, Hip-Hop, Salsa, Jazz, etc are high-impact and will cause greater calorie burn. However, simpler dance forms like the waltz, tango, slow Bollywood etc are easier and less tiring and especially good if you’re just starting out!

2. Improves Heart Health

When we are dancing, our body moves in rhythm and is performing a constant activity. This leads to our hearts working a little harder than usual. The heart, just like our biceps and abs, is a group of muscles that gets stronger when put to constant use and load. Over a consistent period of time, our stamina and heart health improves, and so does the circulation of blood throughout our body.

3. Improves Mobility & Flexibility

Mobility refers to the quality of your movement and the range of motion. For example, being able to get into a deep squat, the ease of bending/flexion of your spine, how much you are able to rotate your torso, how easily you are able to get up, etc. Flexibility refers to the amount of extension in our muscle tissue at a resting state.

The varied movements in dancing, when practiced consistently over time, increase both our mobility as well as flexibility.

4. Reduces stress, helps with symptoms of depression

Dancing leads to increased heart rate, muscle, and lung activity. This form of exercise leads to the secretion of certain chemicals in our body which are often nicknamed ‘happy hormones’. These ‘happy hormones’ calm our mind, increase focus, make us feel active and happy, and also improve our social bonding.

Apart from that, music is an efficient energy booster and is known to change the moods of the listener almost instantly. Dance fitness workouts are mostly accompanied by energetic music which is highly enjoyable and adds to the stress-boosting and depression-fighting benefits.

5. Feel Good, Boost Your Confidence

A dance class with low to high intensity will increase the levels of endorphins in your body. It is one of the happy hormones that are released during exercise that help you feel good and active. Consistently doing exercise will also increase the release of serotonin and dopamine in your body – all of which will improve your mood and how you feel about yourself.

This will allow you to naturally feel confident, joyful, and expressive.

Dance Fitness workout and Therapy for Children

Dance Therapy, popularly known as Dance Movement Therapy, is a form of therapy where people are encouraged to express themselves through dance movements. These sessions too are led by certified professionals and have proven to be effective in bringing important results.

Dance Therapy is especially useful for children with special learning needs such as autism or ADHD etc. It helps them with speech, social anxiety, communication, focus, etc. However, dance is just as useful and therapeutic for neurotypical adults as well as children.

It is highly recommended that parents enroll their children into a dance class as it is a great way to utilize their energy, stay fit, and boost their confidence. It is not only a great way for them to learn new things, gain a sense of achievement and hone a skill, but also to make new friends and work with others in a group.

How to get into the habit of dancing

The idea of starting a rigorous workout routine can be a scary one at first. One is immediately clouded by thoughts of not being able to keep up with the routine. This fear of failure, unfortunately, can lead you to not even want to start.

However, at such a time, we recommend that you think of dancing at a close friend or family friend’s wedding. We Indians are born dancers and you can get a glimpse of it at a big fat Indian wedding ceremony! Dancing at a wedding is fun and quite effortless – and that’s the kind of thought and effortlessness you should keep in mind when you start.

Thankfully, we are in an age where we have online fitness classes and online grocery delivery apps. These really make it easy for us to maintain a good and healthy routine. Here are a few recommendations for the same:

1. Focus on having fun:

Dancing is all about having fun. If you’re just starting, then we suggest you put on your favourite dance music on your headphones or speaker set, get comfortable, let go, and just start grooving.

Keep at it for a few minutes, like no one’s watching. Repeat it for a few days and then consider taking it to the next level.

2. Join an online dance class

A lot of fitness centres and trained professionals are offering dance fitness classes online. Most of them also give you free trial sessions so that you can get a feel before you pay for them. Look for one that fits your budget, try a few trainers and centres, and settle on one that you enjoy the most. It’s a great way to get activity and stay fit from the comfort of your home.

3. Find a dance class near you

A lot of reputed fitness centres and gyms provide group classes with trained dance professionals. If you are a beginner, you can go for aerobics or a Zumba dance class. If you’re looking to get rained in a particular dance format, look for classes in a dance form near you.

4. Support your workouts with a healthy routine

Remember to eat healthily, avoid junk food, hydrate yourself, eat smaller portions, remove refined sugar and confections from your daily diet, and sleep well.

Stretching properly, adding some yoga to your daily routine, and being mindful about your food can really boost the results that you get. It will help you reach your goals faster.

Nowadays, many healthy alternatives are available on online grocery delivery apps. You can make these products a part of your daily routine and have them easily delivered to your doorstep too!

We hope that this post has helped you learn new things and get motivated to make your life healthier and happier. At Milkbasket, we believe that we are more than just an online grocery delivery app. Our aim is to make your life easier, bring you convenience, and support you with your life goals.

What more would you like us to share with you? Have any questions related to this topic? Let us know in the comments below!