Dance like no one’s watching

Music and dance have been fundamental to the human experience for thousands of years. They have been part of our expression, art, culture, and more.

Have you ever had the urge to tap your foot or shake your hips whenever a familiar tune starts playing?

Dance is a natural response, an outlet that helps us feel good.

If you’re bored of gym workouts and cannot face another long run, worry not! In this article, Mrs. Pooja Laungani, celebrity trainer and Bollywood dance choreographer, tells us how to get fit.

Here are our top 10 reasons why dance is such a great fitness activity.
Dancing is fast gaining momentum across the world as one of the best ways to get fit. Besides being energizing, lifeaffirming, and sociable, dancing offers a host of health benefits. From aiding joint flexibility to boosting mental wellbeing – it is definitely worth trying.

1. Building endurance, flexibility, and strength
Tired of feeling tired? Exhausted when you wake up in the morning? Regular dance practice could help you improve muscle endurance, bone strength, and flexibility. This increases your stamina tremendously in day-to-day activities. Which means no more getting tired easily. Dance movements such as prancing, lifting, leaping and jumping help you develop more control over your muscles. This protects your joints in the long run but also means you become more nimble. Regular dance practice is also linked to the prevention of bone issues such as osteoporosis as it improves absorption of calcium by the body.

2. Burning calories
A 30-minute dance session can burn anywhere between 200-400 calories. Depending on the style and the amount of movement involved, this can be a fun cardio workout. Whether you’re salsa dancing, gliding across a ballroom floor or tapping your toes to some two-step rock, dance workouts are a great way to burn calories.

3. Improving mood and mental wellbeing
Besides having several physical health benefits, dancing is great for the mind and soul as well. It helps reduce stress and stimulates endorphins that help you stay on top of day-to-day worries and concerns.

4. Improving memory function
Find yourself slumping into middle-aged malaise? Or forgetting how many children you have and where you last met them? Dancing could really help you in that department. It can help your mind feel younger and more alert thanks to the practice of recalling steps, patterns, and following elaborate routines.

5. Improving balance
One of the key benefits of dancing is the strengthening of core muscles, which are directly linked to balance. It also heightens coordination and reflexes. This makes you less susceptible to injury, improves posture, and keeps you healthy overall.

6. Creating better blood, literally
Dancing can help control cholesterol levels in the blood, as well as manage blood sugar. If you suffer from high blood pressure then dancing could well be the prime exercise for you.

7. Helping you improve your social skills
Dance classes are a great way of meeting new people. You can end up making new friends, and improving your social skills. Whether you’re already a vivacious party machine or a perennial social leper, dancing could help you better your self confidence.

Pooja further says, “Dance is the one time my constantly running mind goes quiet and I can lose myself without any expectation. It’s fun and is a form of escape for me. I know a lot of my students who have turned to dance for help and healing. It simply elevates their moods.”

There is no doubt that dance, in whatever form, is a brilliant form of exercise. Moving your body in all directions with all the enthusiasm you can muster is great for improving not just your physical health but also your mental health. And all you really need to get started is a feel-good soundtrack!

Dance is a way of dealing with feelings and releasing them. So what are you waiting for.. If you are looking for a fun way to lose weight, gain confidence, be fit, dance those calories away !!

Pooja Laungani
is an ACSM, and Reebok certified sports and fitness Instructor
She is certified for TRX, Bokwa, Zumba Zin trainer, BOLLYFIT cardio Classes, and outdoor Bootcamps. Also a Bollywood dance choreographer, she recently cleared her CES TRAINER examinations making her the first Indian cancer exercise specialist in Asia. She’s also a certified sports  nutritionist(HKU). She’s been in the dance and fitness industry over 25 Years. She’s a passionate fitness aficionado whose motto is to spread awareness about health and fitness. Author and Artist of the Bollywood Dance workout DVD “Fitness Guru” released by Sony TV in 2010., takes fitness and Dance classes all over Hongkong for all ages.

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