The Real Secret to Healthy Aging: Benefits of Dance

As you age, your muscle mass and bone density decrease, causing you to lose strength and experience more body pain. It is only natural that you may feel the need to limit your activity. Although you can no longer engage in most of the recreational activities that young people enjoy, you can still take part in dancing. If you are hesitant about taking dance lessons because you do not know what to wear, don’t worry, there is always a type of dancewear that will not only fit your chosen dance genre but will also provide you with comfort and convenience.

Dancing is definitely beneficial for older people. In fact, the benefits of dancing on seniors are plentiful and they range from improved cardiovascular fitness to enhanced flexibility.

Improved Cardiovascular Fitness

As the body ages, it may deteriorate because of aging body responses. This means that seniors will not be able to keep pace with the young when it comes to the more rigorous forms of dancing like aerobics. Dancing, on the other hand, is low-impact so it won’t strain your aging muscles much. With that, seniors can dance on a regular basis thereby substituting any other forms of exercise. Over time, this would result in stronger heart muscles. The most popular form of dancing for the purposes of improving your cardiovascular muscles is ballroom.

Increased Balance, Control and Flexibility

It is normal for older people to easily lose their balance, control and flexibility as a result of aging. But what is not normal is not trying to do anything to try and control your body’s deterioration. You need to be more careful because losing your balance could cause serious injuries. Loosening up those stiff muscles can be done through dancing. Other than that, you need to choose the right dancing clothes for you to support your body as you move.

Increased Bone Mass

Dancing has been shown to increase the bone mass as effectively as milk does. So instead of spending a sedentary lifestyle, go and grab a pair of dance shoes and try dancing. Ask an instructor on what genre suits you best so as not to jeopardize your health.

Toned Muscles

The body’s metabolic rate slows down with old age. That is why you will notice that fat seems to build up faster even if you eat less. The most efficient way to tone and strengthen your muscles is to engage in physical exercises.  However, considering your body’s lower physical capabilities and perhaps your lack of enthusiasm for the more rigorous exercises that the youth seem to prefer, take out those dancing shoes and dance.

Improved Social Outlook

Dancing is a form of non-verbal communication but it is a highly effective method of expressing emotions. Studies show that dancers are more expressive than their non-dancer peers. Especially for senior citizens who may feel isolated and alone because of children growing up and having their own family, you need a positive outlet for your emotions. So go ahead and try expressing yourself through dance. By joining a dance class, you get to feel the company of other dancers and won’t feel so alone anymore.

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Women Learn About Heart Disease Prevention Through Dance

Lead by head dancer Tammi Galloway, the Benefits Spirit of Women Day of Dance introduced women to an exciting way to burn calories and stay away from hart disease: through dancing. Women donned their most comfortable dancing clothes and shimmied their way toward knowledge and illness prevention.

Galloway stressed how belly dancing, a form of dance that has roots in Persia and and much of the East, can be a truly unique and fun alternative to exercising. She began the program by sending five belly dancers to demonstrate to the audience who were in their best dance attire that day.

Spirit of Women and outreach coordinator for the community, Lacey Gallagher couldn’t agree more. She too believes that dancing is good for the heart and the figure.

A yearly event that takes place in different areas all over the country, the Day of Dance program aims to educate women about the risk of cardiovascular disease.  Gallagher hopes that through an engaging and artistic activity such as dance, they are able to reach out to women who need more information about their cardiovascular health.

Aside from belly dancing, women who participated during the Day of Dance were introduced to Pilates and Zumba and enjoyed a flash mob presentation to the tune of Michael Jackson’s megahit “Thriller.”

A credited laughter yoga instructor, Martha Jones delivered a talk and presentation about the transformative force of laughter, also called “joyology,” which according to Jones does wonders for the heart.

Jones believed that getting a good laugh, whether or not intentional, once every day can be good for one’s well being. The audience in response gave a hearty laugh.

There were also other related activities headed by the Montana State University who sent nursing students to offer body mass index and blood pressure checks during Day of Dance. Many of the participants did not only rely on their dance accessories and moves but also got a health checkup. Both the checkups are known to be significant in one’s cardiovascular wellness.

For those who did not bring their dance gear, there were booths that gave out information about stress and diabetes and sleep and cholesterol.

There were booths that focused on the importance of nutrition and proper diet, where interns stressed the important of controlling portions during meals to maintain a healthy weight.

Participants in turn learned about how we consume certain food twice as much compared to people’s diet 20 years ago. Back in the way, a plate of spaghetti only contained 500 calories, compared to the 1,025-calorie serving we have today. The bucket of popcorn we take to the cinemas has 630 calories.

Women are the target participants because many still believe that heart disease affect mostly men. This is only one of the myths that Day of Dance wants to eliminate, according to Gallagher, who added that heart diseases do not choose its target across the age brackets.

Dance of Dance got many women to think more about their cardiovascular health and add dancing to their daily routines.

Whatever dance you’re into, you need quality dance gear. Visit: www.alycedancewear.com for a selection of tights, leotards, dance skirts, dance shoes and many more.

Fabulous Dance Exercises to Stay In Shape

Since the introduction of the exercise VCDs, dancing has been brought to the homes of fitness enthusiasts who want to burn calories without feeling like they’re actually working out. Dancing is more than just a creative means of expressing emotions these days; it can also be used to stretch your muscles, and stay fit. There is no age indicator dictating who can and cannot dance. Rather, there are only clothes that you can and cannot dance in. So for 2012, start the year with an upbeat music and lively dance. Dust those dancing shoes off and learn the Zumba and the other emerging forms of exercise dances.

Notice that every few months, new dance crazes pop up. There was the Macarena of the 90s and the Teach Me How to Dougie of 2011. If you look at these dances, you may see them as all fun but what you don’t realize is that they help keep the public’s fascination burning with the different forms of dance. Other than that, these dance crazes are also introductions to the more muscle-targeting dance exercises. To date, there are four known types of dance exercises: the Zumba, the Batuka, the Bokwa and the Drums Alive. All these forms of dance routines have corresponding dance accessories and they are all expected to be among the hottest fitness trends for 2012.

What to Wear in Zumba, Batuka, Bokwa and Drums Alive Classes
Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance class that promotes cardiovascular health. It is offered in more than 110,000 gyms in 250 countries. It is the most popular dance exercise today. If you intend to enroll in a Zumba class, you must be properly equipped with the right dancing wear. You can either wear Capezio dance wear like the boy cut low rise shorts or the longer cargo pants. Just make sure that whatever you choose the material is made of a breathable fabric. For the tops, a classic camisole will be enough and then match your outfit with a pair of sneakers.

On the other hand, Batuka is a choreographed dance in a high intensity accompanying music. It emphasizes complete body movement with some martial arts moves. To dance Batuka comfortably, you need to wear dance clothes that support your natural body movement. You may wear shorts or tights, even dancers leg warmers – it’s all up to you.

The same holds true if you’re doing the Bokwa and the Drums Alive. Some popular clothes to use include metallic animal print booty dance shorts, Gore Jazz Boots and lyrical shoes. Of course, you need to also bring some dance bags to keep all your things together before and after a dance class.

According to studies, dancers can cover more than five miles of walking in a single dance evening. The same health benefits associated with the use of treadmills and exercise bikes are there too. There’s better cardio health and increased muscle tones and so on. So there’s no surprise why you are expected to wear your dance shoes more often this year.

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