Mambos, cha-chas, waltzes, tangos, sambas, foxtrots and now salsas are spinning across America's TV screens on the popular dance show, Dancing with the Stars.
Why so popular with viewers around 14 million or more? Are you having fun moving along at home and discovering the benefits of dancing? Yes…are you breaking a sweat?
Not only is dancing an exceptional way to let loose and have fun, is a great source of stress relief, cultural enlightenment and another way to stay healthy. Most people agree that social dancing gives them a more positive outlook on life.

In fact, Mayo Clinic reported that social dancing helps to:
• Reduce stress
• Increase energy
• Improve strength
• Increase muscle tone and coordination

And whether you like to move your feet to hip hop, classical or salsa, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) reports 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 combines aerobic exercise offering heart-healthy benefits while engaging in a social activity. It also have mind benefits as reported by New England Journal of Medicine in a 21-year study which 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, playing musical instruments and board games once a week had a 7 percent lower risk ofdementia 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, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine reported lower risk of dementia to 11 in the study which the only physical activity was dancing.

Because dance music engages the dancer's mind, dancing may have a triple benefit for the brain. The physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, while the social aspect leads to less stress, depression and loneliness. Further, dancing requires memorizing steps and working with a partner, both of which provide mental challenges that exercises the brain health.

How many calories can Dancing burn?

The amount of calories burned from dancing depends on the style of dance, how intense it is, duration and your skill level. Once someone gets their heart rate up, they're actually getting a good workout and because you carry your weight around this builds bones, upper body and strength. Plus, dancing requires using muscles that you may not even know you had.

Dancing Off Those Calories!!!

Dancing the night away can burn more calories per hour than riding a bike or swimming. 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+

Just look at the specific Benefits of Popular 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 (380 Calories/hr)
• 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

Ballroom Dancing (265 Calories/hr)
• 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 (420 Calories/hr)
• 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 (280 Calories/hr)
• 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 Dance Studio owner and operator Jose Maldonado.

"A lot of times, when people come into the studio, it's because there's been a change in their life: a break up, divorce or going through a period of depression. The social-physical aspects of dancing help them cope with their situation as they continue their dance activity/training, and you see a big change. After a while, they're back walking in with an upbeat attitude. It is a great feeling because you know it's the dancing that is doing that," he says.

Author
Jose Maldonado
Date
12/22/2008