The Health Benefits of Dancing — Including Specific Benefits of Different Dances

If you secretly sashay across your living room when you’re
home alone or long to cha-cha with your significant other,
you’re in luck. Not only is dancing an exceptional way to
let loose and have fun, but it also provides some terrific
benefits for your health.
In fact, Mayo Clinic researchers reported that social dancing
helps to:

Reduce stress
Increase energy
Improve strength
Increase muscle tone and coordination

And whether you like to kick up your heals to hip hop, classical
or country, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
says that dancing can:

Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
Decrease blood pressure
Help you manage your weight
Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips

Dancing is a unique form of exercise because it provides
the heart-healthy benefits of an aerobic exercise while also
allowing you to engage in a social activity. This
is especially stimulating to the mind, and one 21-year study
published in the New England Journal of Medicine even found
dancing can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other
forms of dementia in the elderly.
In the study, participants over the age of 75 who engaged
in reading, dancing and playing musical instruments and board
games once a week had a 7 percent lower risk of dementia compared
to those who did not. Those who engaged in these activities
at least 11 days a month had a 63 percent lower risk!
Interestingly, dancing was the only physical activity out
of 11 in the study that was associated with a lower risk of
dementia. Said Joe Verghese, a neurologist at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine and a lead researcher of the study, “This
is perhaps because dance music engages the dancer’s mind.”
Verghese says dancing may be a triple benefit for the brain.
Not only does the physical aspect of dancing increase blood
flow to the brain, but also the social aspect of the activity
leads to less stress, depression and loneliness. Further,
dancing requires memorizing steps and working with a partner,
both of which provide mental challenges that are crucial for
brain health.
How Good of a Workout is Dancing, Really?
The amount of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like
most exercises, the type of dancing you’re doing, how strenuous
it is, the duration and your skill level.
Says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive
Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wisconsin, “Once someone
gets to the point where they’re getting their heart rate up,
they’re actually getting a terrific workout. Dance is a weight-bearing
activity, which builds bones. It’s also “wonderful”
for your upper body and strength.”

Plus, dancing requires using muscles that you may not even
know you had.
“If you’re dancing the foxtrot, you’re taking long,
sweeping steps backwards. That’s very different than walking
forward on a treadmill or taking a jog around the neighborhood
… Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and
buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise,”
says Ken Richards, professional dancer and spokesman for USA
Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport (competitive
ballroom dancing).
Specific Benefits of Different Dances
If you’re looking for specific health results, here’s a breakdown
of the benefits of some popular dances. Just remember that
any type of dancing is better than no dancing at all!
Belly Dancing

Improved posture and muscle toning
Maintains flexibility
Helps prevent lower back problems
Tones and firms arms and shoulders
Helps with weight loss
Helps prepare women for childbirth
Reduces stress

Dancing Off Those Calories
How many calories will you burn while dancing? That
depends on the type of dancing. Here’s a range of some
of the most popular varieties, based on a 150-pound
person, per hour:

Swing dancing: 235 calories/hour
Ballroom dancing: 265
Square dancing: 280
Ballet: 300
Belly dancing: 380
Salsa dancing: 420+
Aerobic dancing: 540+

Ballroom Dancing

Conditions the body
Helps keep the heart in shape
Builds and increases stamina
Develops the circulatory system
Strengthens and tones legs and body
Increases flexibility and balance
Helps with weight loss
Relieves stress

Salsa Dancing

Builds endurance and stamina
Helps with weight loss
Relieves stress
Helps you release toxins via sweating
May help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol
levels
Can lead to a reduced heart rate over time

Square Dancing

Provides cardiovascular conditioning
May lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure
and an improved cholesterol profile
Strengthens bones
Helps you develop strong social ties
Loosens and tones muscles

Physical benefits aside, dancing has a way of brightening
up a person’s day, says ballroom owner and operator Karen
Tebeau.
“A lot of times, when people come into the studio, it’s
because there’s been a change in their life: a divorce or
they’ve been through a period of depression. They (continue)
coming in, and you see a big change. After a while, they’re
walking in with a sunny expression. You know it’s the dancing
that’s doing that,” she says.

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