Having a perfect body is the dream of many people. However, the truth is that there are few who manage to feel content and satisfied with their physical appearance.
Day-to-day concerns, a full-time workday, secular studies, family obligations, previous commitments, and other occupations prevent you from going to the gym or following an exercise routine in order to look better and maintain good health.
This has caused many to fall into the vice of sedentary lifestyle and that their physical condition deteriorates little by little. At that point, it is much more difficult to return to turn the tide.
There are also those who do not like to exercise. They start, but soon throw in the towel, because they think it is a strenuous and exhausting physical activity or because they do not see the results as quickly as they would like. If that’s your case, don’t let the parrot go away!
Just because you don’t like exercising doesn’t mean you should resign yourself to never having the look you want. Actually, there are other ways of exercising, which are much more attractive. For example, practicing a sport, such as swimming, football, karate, tennis, etc.
But, if you are still not attracted to those options, there is always the possibility of dancing. Yes, just as you read it. You should not leave dancing alone for the holidays, it can also be a very valuable resource when it comes to exercising.
Do you know how to dance? Would you like to use dance as a physical exercise? If the answers to these questions have been yes, then you are in the right place. In this article you will find everything you need to know about dancing as an alternative to exercise, while having fun. Let’s see how.
Instructions
In the most technical sense, dancing is moving the body to the rhythm of the music. However, others have considered it as an art, as a way to communicate with others, as a therapy against stress and, in this particular case, dancing also resembles an exercise.
Experts in the field affirm that dance is a very complete discipline. It is an ideal exercise for weight loss and, if you are happy with your weight, it is also useful to keep you in shape.
Among the great advantages of this form of exercise, we find that it can be practiced by people of all ages, including children and the elderly. In addition, you can do it for as long as you want and vary in intensity when experimenting with different musical rhythms.
On the other hand, if you like to dance, you will not force yourself, as may happen with trips to the gym. It will be a real pleasure and, at the end, you will feel tired, but with a pleasant feeling of well-being.
But how to exercise dancing? To do this successfully, follow each of the following steps:
- Just as you would before doing any exercise routine, you should always start by doing a short warm-up routine that goes from head to toe, in that descending order. This will help you avoid injury and activate the body.
- Then, choose a style of music of your preference. However, try to make it energetic enough to motivate you to move your whole body with ease, such as salsa, Dominican merengue, reggaeton, bachata, among others.
- When dancing, you should exaggerate the movements, looking for greater intensity so that you can start perspiring and sweating and thus begin to burn calories.
- Dance to two moving songs in a row with enough energy and intensity that you feel tension in your leg muscles and abdomen.
- Then, relax your muscles by dancing to a gentle song. This will allow you to calm your body and take some breath to continue with the exercise routine. Take these breaks from time to time, perhaps after two or three songs, if you prefer.
- Dance for an hour or two a day, depending on your time availability. You can also go from less to more, starting with an hour of dancing a day and then increasing the time as your body adjusts to the exercise.
- Finally, culminate with about 3 minutes of low-impact exercises to relax your muscles before returning to your daily routine.
- It’s important that, while you’re in your dance routine, you stay well hydrated to regain the electrolytes your body has released as a result of physical activity.
Do you like the idea of exercising while dancing? Actually, it is very attractive. Best of all, you can do it from home and without having to pay for the advice of a professional. In fact, if you want to vary a little, you just have to search the Internet for some videos of dance therapy classes and that’s it! Problem fixed at one click speed.
Now, do you want to start today? What do you need to be able to do it? We will be talking about it next.
What You Need
Among the things you need to exercise while dancing are the following:
- A large space where you can move and move your whole body freely, without danger of falling or tripping over an object.
- Comfortable clothing that allows you to extend your arms and legs as much as you want. Leggings and tights are usually the most appropriate for most physical activities, since they allow greater flexibility and mobility. You can wear a loose, lightweight T-shirt or one attached to the body.
- In relation to footwear, it is important that it is consistent with the activity you are going to do. But, in general, look for sneakers that have grip, grip, with good cushioning, that gives you stability, that are light and that are resistant.
- An active and dynamic style of music that motivates you to move until exhaustion and leaves you wanting to continue.
- Water to keep you well hydrated and in good condition.
- A healthy and balanced diet that serves as a complement to the dance routine you are implementing.
If you still do not feel motivated to dance to exercise, it may be very useful to know what the benefits of dancing are.
Councils
Depending on the style of music you choose, dancing can be a very intense exercise. Therefore, it is important that, at least the first few days, you take it easy and learn to know what your limits are and not exceed them.
If you feel very tired, it is best to pause until you catch your breath. With the passage of time your lung capacity, as well as your physical resistance, will increase and you will be able to dance for longer.
Avoid movements that could injure you, such as twisting and bending, especially if you’re overweight. Remember that safety must come first.
Dancing is a social activity, which is best enjoyed in the company of other people. So, what do you think of the idea of dancing together with some friends? This way you will have a very fun time, while you exercise, and it will be much more motivating for you.
If, in view of the current pandemic, you prefer not to invite anyone to your home, remember that there is always the option of making a video conference using the ideal applications for that. With the help of technology, the boundaries are shortened and it is possible to interact with family and friends without having to be together physically.
What do you think of the idea of exercising by dancing? Why don’t you try it today? For sure, the physical and emotional results you get will be worth it and you will want to dance not only at parties, but at any time you consider convenient.
Your benefits
- Dancing helps reduce the risk of heart disease and improve lung capacity.
- It is an ideal exercise for the well-being of the brain and prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
- It helps reverse volume loss in the hippocampus. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for keeping memory under control, which prevents long-term senile dementia, since learning dance routines improves memory.
- Facilitates weight loss. In fact, it is estimated that with half an hour of dancing you can burn between 200 and 400 calories.
- Since it is an aerobic exercise, it reduces blood cholesterol levels, especially bad cholesterol, while helping to increase the good.
- As it is an exercise where strength is involved, it helps prevent bone loss. In addition, it is the most advisable to tone the bones without the joints suffering damage.
- It also helps improve skills and abilities, such as flexibility, strength, and endurance.
- It is of great benefit to people suffering from depression, since it stimulates the production of endorphins, which also favors the release of accumulated stress.
- It improves physical performance while increasing energy levels.
- Increase muscle strength by using steps and movements that exercise different muscle groups.
As you have been able to realize, since dancing is a very complete exercise, it is responsible for benefiting your health from different angles, since it helps prevent diseases, but also to combat many of those that you may be suffering from today, such as cholesterol in the blood.
In view of its great benefits for the body, what recommendations should you take into account when dancing as an exercise?