HIT THE DANCE FLOOR FOR FITNESS AND FUN
As we await the final lineup for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, it may inspire you to take to the dance floor yourself.
Dancing is a great activity, with every age group benefiting from learning some new steps.
There are the obvious advantages of studying dance including reduced obesity, a fun source of exercise, healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels while helping to maintain a balanced lifestyle.
There is clinically significant evidence that children who participate actively in the performing arts spend less time sitting in front of a computer screen playing games, and therefore they are at less of a risk of developing health problems.
And, while dance is a good source of fun exercise for young children, it is also a creative outlet.
Exercise is important but the opportunity to release creativity is just as important as staying fit and maintaining a balanced diet in the development of healthy children because of the life skills they will learn.
Dancing can make a person feel physically refreshed and improves their mood, tackling issues including anxiety and depression.
Group dancing is a tool to release daily stress, a distraction from everyday worries and an outlet for imagination and emotion.
There are the physical benefits of taking part in dance classes as a child.
Through dance, children develop a greater range of movement while developing the ability to work within different spaces.
They learn to interpret the affect their movement has on the world around them.
Dancing also improves a child’s coordination – especially at a time when they are rapidly developing in an ever-changing and evolving environment.
Good coordination is vital for developing skills learned in other parts of life, such as riding a bike or being able to multitask successfully.
It also develops strength and endurance from an early age and this creates a solid platform for the child’s physical development and level of fitness.
Learning to socialise with others from a young age is also a vital part of a child’s cognitive development and dance classes are a great way to learn this among their peers.
It is a great way to keep children fit and healthy and can often lead to further studies and even a career in that industry.
But dance is not exclusive to young people as adults can gain so many health benefits from taking it up.
This could be as simple as taking part in a Zumba class to Fitsteps, or taking up ballet or ballroom dance classes.
The social aspects and the health benefits of taking up dancing can transform your life, giving you confidence and keeping you fit too.
Dance is for any age. As long as you have a willingness to learn something new and are prepared to put a little work in while having great fun. It is the perfect pastime for adults too.
So this year why not set yourself a challenge and take the first steps into a new health regime of dance? No matter what age you are, you might fall in love with it.