Dancing is surprisingly beneficial for our health since it does not only involve our physical strength but also our creative expression, social interaction, and emotional. Dancing is perfectly suitable for people who are not fancy of individual physical activity.
Benefits of Dancing for Our Health:
1. Improving Our Balance.
The older we are the more limited physical activities that we can do. Balance is one of the factors that influence our activity. However, practicing dancing, such as zumba is proven to be an effective way to improve our balance. Tango dancing makes us moves faster and requires us to have a precise posture. Therefore, dancing can help us in improving our physical condition.
2. Boosting Our Energy.
If we feel fatigue and tired, we are usually suggested to do sports. Dancing is one form of sport. The physical activity that we do during dancing triggers the emerging of endorphins hormone which eventually makes us energetic. Besides, dancing can level up our sleeping quality so that we will feel fresh after having a rest. Endorphins and a good sleeping quality lead us to have a better focus.
3. Reducing Our Weight.
60 minutes of dancing can burn our 468 calorie (for people who have 60 kg weigh). Compared to cycling, this is such a huge number because cycling for 60 minutes can burn only 450 of our calorie. Another interesting part of dancing is it is more to entertaining than exercising. Every dance has different choreography. There are several dances that are worth trying, such as swing, street dance, hip hop, etc. The more intensive our movement during dancing, the more calorie we burn. As a result, our waist size reduces. It brings such a good impact for our body thoroughly. Dancing is not only beneficial for burning our calorie but also makes us think positively. Having positive mind makes our body healthier and does not easily fatigue.
The name of dancing that helps us in reducing our weight are:
This dance makes us move freely. Since we rely on our speed, our calorie burns massively. Free style dance does not only help us reducing our weight but also increasing our flexibility. Before we start dancing, we should practice warming up movement with slow songs. Practice this dance for 30 minutes everyday.
Belly dance is not only effective for reducing our weight but also for shaping our belly and waist. It is also beneficial for burning fat in our thigh. Another benefit of belly dance is keeping us fit. Belly dance can be done together with the instructor or we can watch the belly dance video to practice it.
Balet is not only for keeping the beauty of our body. We must concentrate to manage our slow movement and our breath. The energy that we use to concentrate helps us to release the calorie from our body.
Circling in the pole for 30 minutes in a daily basis is the same as do the gymnastics for 20 minutes. Besides reducing our weight, pole dancing helps us in strengthening our muscles and shaping our body.
Practicing ballroom dance for at least 20 minutes is effective to burn 500 calorie. If we want to burn more calorie, we can practice ballroom dance more intensively.
Practicing zumba dance can burn our 540 calorie in one hour. The music in zumba dance helps us to practice intensive movement so that we can be more lively and vigorously.
Practicing contemporary dance for at least 30 minutes everyday can reduce our weight significantly within a few weeks. The movement of contemporary dance is the same as walking and cycling.
4. Strengthening Our Heart
Dancing can increase our heart and lungs performance to bring oxygen to every part of our body during the heavy activity. Dancing is good for us who are in risk of suffering a heart disease. In that case, we usually are not suggested to do heavy activities, such as running or cycling. Relaxing dance like waltz brings positive impact to our heart.
5. Flexuring Our Body.
Dance movements involve our upper and lower part of the body. Thus, they can increase our endurance and muscles. Besides, they can flexure our body. Increasing our body flexurity will minimize the pain in our joints. We do not have to practice ballet since Javanese or Balinese dance will bring us the same flexuring effect.
6. Training Our Brain.
Dancing makes our brain stays young. In Journal of Medicine of New England mentions that dancing is the relaxing activity that decreases the risk of depression, dementia, and alzheimer. Dancing integrates our several brain functions so that the nerves in our brain are connecting to each other. To connect the nerves in our brain involves several process, such as kinesthetic, rational, music sensitivity and emotional. Learning and memorizing new movements can also increase our brain intelligence.
Mental activity, such as reading and playing game can maintain our brain intelligence and preventing us from suffering dementia. Dancing brings the same positive effect. Based on the result of the research in New England Journal of Medicine, dancing regularly can level down the risk of dementia until 76 percent. It is more than the other activities such as playing music,chess, monopoly, snake and ladder, and halma. Dancing is not only about physical activities that makes our body moves. It also expedites our blood flow and oxygen in our body. Furthermore, it influences the brain function by stimulating it so that our brain can perform at its best. In order to reach its best performance, our brain needs certain practice.
Movement synchronization is one them. Stimulating our brain can be done in a very simple way such as walking or jogging. However, if our body receives complex movement while we are dancing, it will give more optimum effect to our brain. When we dance, we do a series of movements that are relatively long, different and repetitive. During that process, our brain actively sends the signal for our body parts to keep on dancing. It is different from cycling and swimming in which we have to do the same movement continuously. Once we remember how to cycle or how to swim, our brain will not find another next movements. Meanwhile, dancing is a very dynamic activity. This quick thinking process makes our brain to grow new nerves in order to meet the requirement of the on going activity.
7. Increasing Our Self-Confidence and Focus.
People who are good at dancing expose high level of self confidence because they are happy with their body as well as their ability to process the movements. Anthony Robbins, an NLP expert as well as world top motivator, said that if someone wants to change his/her fate, he/she should start by having a fit and healthy body. By paying attention to our health, we will feel that we are the one who control and responsible to ourselves. Furthermore, our ability to focus is increasing as well. We cannot dance well if we do not focus because dancing trains our memory to memorize the series of dancing movement.
8. Good Sleeping Quality.
Dancing makes our body moves actively. This eventually will effect our sleeping quality. A good sleeping quality brings a marvelous effect for our health, both for our organ and skin.
9. Reducing Stress.
Stress can be healed by various ways. Dancing is one of the method. It does not only apply for they who are fond of dancing but everyone who are under stressful condition can sense the thrill of dancing which eventually make them forget their stress.
10. Makes Our Skin Shiny.
Sufficient nutrients to our skin makes it shiny. Dancing plays its important role in the process of detoxification. When we dance our blood circulation performs well to every part of our body. Dancing regularly will elevate our blood circulation that brings benefit to our skin thoroughly. Thus, our skin looks healthier and more shiny.
11. Makes us Fit.
Whatever the dance that we practice, it will make our body moves as if we are doing sport. As a result, our body stays fit. When we dance, our muscles do their job perfectly. Dancing is a fun and exciting way to make us healthy rather than practicing monotonous treadmill. Besides, every move we make during dancing releases serotonin and endorphins hormone that make us sense the happiness.
12. Healthy Heart.
There is an interesting finding about dancing. The research shows that professional dancers are able to burn 260 calorie in one hour. It is the same as walking fast. For professional dancers, moving and shaking their body make their heart perform better as well as increase the health of muscles. This result is the same walking and running program that are applied to 35 people in Memorial Hospital in Rhode Island, USA. There are two cardio dances that are beneficial for the health of our heart. Those are salsa and capoeira.
Cardio Salsa
It is a low impact practice with high intensity that combines a latin music choreography that are fast and precise, such as merengue, mambo, cha-cha, samba. Cardio salsa consists of traditional aerobic steps, repetitive catching actions, and lifting both of our hands. The center of most of salsa dance are in waist muscles, the center part of our body and, pelvis and waists.
Cardio Capoeira
It is used to apply by slaves in Brazil to deceive their guards. Nowadays, this challenging sweaty sport involves heavy fight and strong defense. It can be done solo or with partners. Besides, capoeira requires more kicking and twisting movements.
Dancing is not only beneficial for adults but also for children.
5 benefits of dancing for children:
1. Commitment and Discipline
To become a professional dancer requires hours and constant practice. Children will learn about having commitment and strong dedication to master every movement they learn. Besides, they will also built group discipline because usually dancing are done in group. Professional dancers spent their times by doing on intensive practice for years. It is not definitely part time practice. When children learn how to master the maneuvers and choreographers, they cannot copy their friends to show excellent movements. In order to master every single movement, children should practice with high level of discipline and commitment. Professional dancing schools usually apply high level of discipline and commitment to their students more than common schools.
2. Socialization and Team Work.
Dancing is a group activity that requires communication, understanding and togetherness among team members. In fact, they are more than just how to practice and perform well but they are more to build cooperation by always showing the commitment to practice on time. Children will learn not to disappointing their friends by being lazy either to come for practicing or during practicing because it will influence the team performance. Thus, dancing will make children learn not only about competing but also collaborating. It is good for them to balance their competition spirit and eliminate arrogance and self-selfishness.
3. Emotion Expression.
Dancing is used for presenting various emotions such as, freedom, hope, passion, bravery, strength and graciousness. On the contrary, dancing is also useful for expressing negative emotion. In Psychology, there is a term called Ego Defense Mechanism. It is the strategy to defense the ego after facing unpleasant experience. Ego Defense Mechanism is divided into two, negative and positive. In negative ego defense mechanism there are displacement, regression, repression, isolation, etc. Meanwhile, in positive ego defense mechanism there are altruism, anticipation, humor, and sublimation. Sublimation is when we transform negative emotion becomes positive emotion. For example, after our boss express his anger to us in front of our colleagues, instead of expressing our emotion negatively by throwing the stone to our bos’s car, we go praying or dancing. It will be absolutely excellent if children are given positive ego defense mechanism through dancing. Therefore, dancing is helpful for children to build their healthy mental condition.
4. Self Confidence.
Dancing requires children to express themselves through the motions. This effects their creativity and self confidence outside of their dancing school. As a result, children will be motivated to finish every task they have got at school or at their dancing school at their best because the physical ability and movements that they learn during dancing lesson has brought them such a good impact.
5. Reducing Serious Illnesses.
Dancing routinely brings positive impacts to the children physical and health development. Dancing makes their body flexures, their thoughts are more well coordinated and controlled, they have better posture which eventually decreasing the risk of gout and arthritis, early obesity, stroke, and heart disease.
Another benefits of dancing can be experienced by pregnant women. During the pregnancy, our body experience hormonal changes that make us prone to minor accident that might be dangerous for both mother and the baby. However, the chances for pregnant mothers to do physical exercises are still wide open since they can choose dancing as the fantastic activity to keep mother and the baby fit. Dancing is safe for pregnant women since it is a low impact exercise. A low impact exercise is the exercise that consists of soft movement yet meaningful for our joints. Therefore, dancing is beneficial for minimizing the stress in the joints that is often experienced by pregnant women.
8 benefits of dancing for pregnant women are:
The Best Time to Dance for Pregnant Women is divided into three categories, the first trisemester, the second trisemester and the third trisemester:
The first trisemester:
The second and the third trisemester:
Before dancing, pregnant women should:
Dancing benefits for pregnant must consider to get guide from professional physician to avoid its negative effects. Doing dancing regularly could increase your body metabolism, health, and long life.