Top 5 Health Benefits of Ballroom Dancing
Even though many people take up ballroom dancing because it’s enjoyable and socially stimulating, it’s worth to mention that it can also be a great way for people of all ages to exercise. Although there are many more, here are the top 5 benefits of ballroom dancing.
Muscle Toning
Ballroom dancing involves the use of diverse groups of muscles. It contributes to muscle toning by pushing the dancers to withstand their partner’s’ body strength. Lifting up your partner, the fast turns, stretching and bending, spinning and two-stepping all add up to muscle building. The muscles involved in ballroom dancing are worked differently and more efficiently than in other physical activities, which helps tone and strengthen them.
Cardiovascular Health
Ballroom dancing is a great cardiovascular exercise, it helps strengthen the heart at the same time that reduces cholesterol levels and lowers blood pressure. In fact an Australian study, which surveyed 48,000 British people, established that moderate intensity dancing is associated with a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Ballroom dancing is ideal for conditioning the heart and circulation since on average it goes on for more than the 30 to 40 minutes of moderately intense exercise recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Cognitive Acuity
According to a recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, regular moderate intensity dancing was found to reduce the risk of the occurrence of dementia and Alzheimer¹s disease by 76%. Ballroom dancing demands frequent eyeblink, rapid-fire decision making, which is the cornerstone to maintaining intelligence since it drives your brain to constantly rewire its neural pathways, granting you larger cognitive reserve and elevated complexity of neuronal synapses.
Weight Loss
Ballroom dancing is considered a low-impact aerobic activity that can enhance your metabolism. In just half an hour of moderate to high intensity dancing, you can burn up to 400 calories, which is roughly the same amount burned by jogging or cycling. Burning an extra 400 calories a day can help you lose between 0.5-1 pound a week. A recent study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology revealed that an exercise schedule of aerobic dance training is just as advantageous for losing weight and increasing aerobic power as cycling and jogging.
Body Balance
So as to perform each move and sequence properly, dancers need to hold up a strong center of gravity. As you assimilate each movement and start to gain augmented flexibility and strength, your posture, balance and spatial awareness will easily begin to get better, making each step easier for you to execute. Ballroom dancing requires a fair amount of fast movement and stable posture, therefore frequent dancing will help you stabilize and obtain greater control of your body.
