Dance shows have become quite popular nowadays. Competitions in reality TV like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance are followed by millions of people worldwide.
But why just watch your stars dance to their heart’s content when you can get off that couch and take the dance floor yourself? Research shows that dancing is an overall workout that can help maintain your flexibility, make you lose weight, keep your mind and body in a healthy state, and reduce your stress levels. Dancing can also introduce you to new friends.
Dancing is a good form of exercise as it involves a lot of muscles in performing a move. We’re here to let you know more about the benefits of dancing so that you’ll be more motivated to dance. Read on to know how dancing can change your life.
Benefits of (Pole) Dancing
1) Increase energy levels
Taking up dance lessons can help boost your energy. The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition released a study on how getting involved in a weekly dance lesson can enhance your overall physical performance and energy levels.
2) It boosts your memory
Dancing can help you age gracefully by improving your brain’s capability to retain information.
According to a research published by The New England Journal of Medicine, dancing can help enhance your memory and shield you from developing dementia as you age.
Aerobic exercises like dancing can help reverse the loss of volume in the hippocampus ‘ the area of the brain that manages our memories. The hippocampus shrinks naturally during the late adulthood periods and this causes impaired memory which may lead to dementia.
3) Improve your overall flexibility
The arabesques and plies ballet dancers do are not just for show. Their purpose is to loosen muscle fibres and enhance their flexibility. Stretching also helps reduce post-workout muscle soreness.
You don’t have to be a ballerina and wear ballet slippers just to enjoy the benefits they do. By practising the same stretching exercises, you can also increase your muscle flexibility and decrease joint pains.
4) It helps you lose weight
A study released in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology reveals that aerobic dancing has the same efficiency in burning fats as jogging or cycling.
5) Improve your balance
We tend to lose our balance at some point in our life as we age. According to a study published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, getting into dance lessons may help improve the balance of older people. Dancing involves a lot of fast muscle movements while requiring you to maintain your posture. This, in turn, helps improve your control over your body and make your overall stance more stable.
6) Reduce stress levels
If you’re stressed from everyday activities, you may want to try dancing as your stress reliever. Get a partner, turn the volume up, and just dance!
According to a study found in the Journal of Applied Gerontology, dancing with a partner, accompanied by music, can relieve your stress.
7) Uplift your spirit
According to a study, dancing uplifts the spirits of those suffering from depression. Depressed patients who participate in a group dance exercise and in tune with an upbeat music show the least signs of depression. Rather, they show increased vitality and enthusiasm.
8) Keep your heart healthy
Dancing is a workout with great cardiovascular benefits. It’s the recommended exercise for people who experienced heart failure as it helps improve their breathing. According to a study in Italy, dancing is even more beneficial compared to biking or walking on a treadmill.
9) Meet new friends
Attending dance classes will help you meet new people and improve your social connection. The positive relationship you build amongst your comrades during classes is considered as beneficial as eating healthy food and exercising regularly.
Social engagement brings about happiness and reduces stress levels. Both these conditions help your body build a stronger immune system.
this is amazing thank you for sharing this article
I don’t much about pole dancing but my girlfriend was interested in trying it so I got her a 6-month membership. In the 4 months she has been doing it, she has become totally addicted. It’s good, too: she was borderline anorexic before but has become much more fit and flexible and strong even in that limited time. The instructors there are very very nice although they do push students hard and really emphasize fitness and flexibility. That particular studio has, in addition to pole, rings and even aerial silks. She seems to love all three.
I haven’t yet watched in person but she takes videos every time and is extremely proud of her progress. She has lots of black and blue marks but treats them as badges of honor. So, whatever else one might say about it, it’s pretty clear to me that there’s really something to this. You can see it has really boosted her self-confidence too. All good.
Thanks a lot for sharing all the benefits of dance in our life.