Get into a Strict routine
Strictly Come Dancing is back with a bang and we have already been treated to the line up of celebrities and their stunning partners that will be competing in the fun family friendly competition.
There is a real motley crew of celebs this year ranging from Will Young to Ed Balls.
As usual there is all the gossip and rumors that surround the show, including the whole thing is a fix and which celeb and which dancer will hook up romantically.
Despite what you think of the show, there is no denying that it is now firmly fixed in the public’s mind, and love it or hate it, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t know what the show entails.
Dance and fitness have also become inseparable over recent years thanks to the launch of programs such as Zumba and Fitsteps.
In another recent TV production, Angela Rippon came to the conclusion that as far as overall fitness, dance was the number one activity that we could all be doing to lose weight and get fit.
It’s a fair point, if you need proof just have a look at the professional dancers on the show.
The guys and gals that put the stars through their paces are all toned, muscular and lean, a testament to the training that they do to maintain a level of fitness that is required to be a pro dancer.
The show also strives to make dancers of the celebs involved, and often on the show and in the sister show, It Takes Two, we are given insights into the training and reparation that they go through to perform their minute and a half of dance every week.
It is normal for the celebs to look tired and frustrated as they struggle with both the fitness and the choreography.
I think that it’s a situation that we would all find ourselves in if we were to take part in the production.
Now i’m sure that many of you reading will have watched the show and criticized the participants, but there is no taking away from the fact that they will have been working hard on a daily basis, often for hours at a time, while also doing their “day” job too.
Many of them explain in interviews afterwards how demanding the schedule is.
Bear in mind that as well as the dance with their partner, they are also required to learn group dances with the rest of the cast too.
The link with fitness and dance was taken to another level when Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe, two long time contributers to Strictly, launched their dance based fitness session Fitsteps, to the general public.
Along with Mark Foster, the Strictly dancers created a Zumba like fitness class that embraced the world of ballroon and Latin dancing.
Fitsteps teaches class members basic dance steps and mixes and matches the styles and tempos as the class progresses.
Zumba had already taken the world by storm with choreographed routines that are specifically designed to follow the music.
Fitsteps instead teaches the dance style, and let’s the instructor lead or cue the routine as they go along.
This means that although the basic steps remain the same, the instructor has a free hand to change the order and tempo of the dance, depending on the music.
Fitsteps uses a wide variety of dance styles that include Salsa, Paso Doble, Vienese Waltz, Tango, Jive, Quickstep, Cha Cha Cha and Rumba, so each class is stuffed with dancing content.
Fitsteps is a great entry level class for those of you that are looking for a dance based fitness session that is friendly and accessible.
Of course there will be the usual couple of sessions where you have to learn the basics, but once you have learned the initial steps, it becomes great fun.
As you progress through the classes, you suddenly start to develop a dance style of your own.
As a regulare participant in Fitsteps, I find that people slowly start to introduce their own styling and armography, almost mimicking the stances and movements of the professional dancers.
The slower paced dances such as the Waltz and the Rumba, really give class members a feel for dancing, and as you do Fitsteps, it is easy to start to lose yourself in the mood of the music and movement.
The quicker dances such as the jive, are a real test of your stamina though.
The correct mix of fast and slow dances gives the class an almost interval style of training.
Recently another Strictly stalwart has launched another dance based class too.
Veteran Balllet legend Darcy Bussell launched her own program called DDMix last year, but unfortunately I have yet been able to find a class to try.
It seems safe to say that dance based fitness is here to stay and millions of people all over the world have embraced dancing as a way to get fit.
If you missed out on Zumba or Fitsteps the first time around, it’s never too late to join a class, and now with Strictly coming back on the telly, this could be a perfect time to start.
Check out Zumba and Fitsteps online, and search for classes in your area.