Dancing for Your Health

The television show, Dancing with the Stars, is a huge success; but the greatest winners (even for all the non-winners on the show) are those that actually practice and then perform the dances. And why are even the losers the eventual winners? Quite simply, because of all the exercise that is required. Of course, that’s the logical answer, yet there is much more to dance than meets the eye … and it may directly affect you and those you work with.

Catherine Cram, MS, a physiologist of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wisconsin, states, “Once someone gets to the point where they’re getting their heart rate up, they’re actually getting a terrific workout.” Yet, even if someone were to meet the USDA’s physical activity guidelines of getting at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily activity, there are other significant benefits to “dancing for your health.”

The Mayo Clinic suggests that dancing:

**Reduces stress

**Increases energy

**Improves strength

**Increases muscle tone and coordination

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) suggests 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

As important as these benefits are to our overall health, the most amazing finding came from The New England Journal of Medicine several years ago. Joe Verghese, MD, and his team studied 469 people aged 75 and older. These folks were first put through their paces with some preliminary testing, then asked to dance (of course, some were not asked to dance as part of the study). Nearly five years later, of the 469 participants, 124 had some form of dementia. Those participants who danced regularly showed a reduced risk of dementia. As Verghese stated, “Of the 11 physical activities considered, only dancing was tied to a lower dementia risk.”

That conclusion may be a result of following:

**Increased blood flow to the brain from physical exercise

**Less stress, depression, and loneliness from dancing’s social aspect

**Mental challenges (memorizing steps, working with your partner)

Dancing can not only be a source of television entertainment, but can (and should) be a form of physical activity that all of us engage in — as the benefits are clearly evident.

Speaking on a personal note, I’ve taken ballroom dancing lessons, and although it was a bit intimidating (ok, very intimidating) to get out there with my two left feet in front of others, once you get into it, not only is it challenging, but it can be just as habit forming as tapping your fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm of our favorite songs on the car radio.

Lori Holmgren RN, MSN

Source: Jeffrey Johnson, Founder of Visiting Angels