Previously I have discussed the merits and drawbacks of many exercise types, including swimming, running, walking, using a gym , doing gym exercise classes and yoga. We also looked at racquet sports and team sports in general. Here we look at dance as a form of exercise which can range form Zumba to Samba or Ballroom to Salsa.
The Positives about –
- Fun – Most people who do dance as a form of exercise absolutely love it. They are moving and exercising without the feel it is a chore.
- Calorie Burn – Any movement is burning up energy and dance is no different.
- Group Environment / social – Dance involves other people in a group which is inspiring and has social elements to it which is lacking for many people in general but especially in terms of exercise.
- Low to High impact – In general dance is fairly low impact unless doing a hip hop / street dance type of movement so most people can participate pain free.
- Variety – The many different movements, types of dance and music to listen to can keep an almost endless array of workouts coming.
- Emotional Benefit – Moving your body to music has powerful emotional benefits. The 5 Rhythms Dance movement started a therapy technique through dance. The result is not only burning some calories but changing your emotional state and this has massive benefits upon your eating and therefore in combination your overall happiness in life.
The Negatives about –
- Low Calorie Burn – While some dance types have a large fitness and calorie burn element to it most do not. While this is not a problem if accounted for sometimes people misrepresent how much energy they have used and then see poor results as the food is not balanced in relation. The same thing happens with running.
- Injury Potential – For the most part dancing is fairly safe pastime but for some dances which are high impact (Hip Hop/street) or have repetitive movements under stress people can get injured if have a pre -existing injury (samba).
- Most Men Will Not Do It –Sadly dance is still seen as for women mostly or a very feminine thing to do. The result is most men will not participate.
- Fitness Development – In general dancing does not have the greatest fitness demands nor does it develop your 4 areas of fitness to any great degree.
Summary
I think dance in its many forms is a fantastic and powerful form of exercise. The main benefit which it holds over other methods is the emotional / happiness contribution. This directly impacts into eating behaviours which is vital for people trying to lose fat. I feel dance is a primal part of our psyche and everyone should do it in some form. Sadly our society still partitions it as a woman thing and even then many women are not comfortable doing it. After living in Brazil for 1 year i can see the contrast greatly in how they view it within their culture.
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