Ballroom for Better Health - The Physical Benefits
Cardiovascular: Ballroom and Latin dancing can raise the heart rate anywhere from 80 to 120 beats per minute. That
is the equivalent of any strength training or aerobic program available today. Sustained in 2 minute bursts over a 45
minute period will build not only your heart's strength, but its endurance, too.
Muscle Tone: Ballroom and Latin dancing, when done at an intermediate to advanced level of technique, use the
perfect blend of isometric and isotonic resistance, the two key ingredients to muscle building and toning. The blend and
use of the muscles is perfect for building beautiful tone in the muscles without building a lot of muscle mass, a big
concern for women in particular.
Joints: According to the American Journal of Medicine, the best way to avoid arthritis and remedy current joint
discomfort is to continue to use the joints in a controlled manner. The beautiful rise and fall of Waltz demonstrates this
beautifully.
Spinal Column: The frame or posture maintained in Ballroom dancing places the spine in a natural and correct
position, even more correct than when standing or sitting naturally! That also puts all your organs in alignment, which is
now thought by many doctors and chiropractors to fight sickness, disease, fatigue and more.
Respiratory: Many track greats know that a strong set of lungs gets plenty of oxygen, which makes the heart work
easier, which in turn allows us to dance and have fun longer! That's why sprinters run a lot of "wind" bursts: brief bursts
to up the heart rate quickly, then bringing it down and doing this repeatedly. This is similar to Ballroom dancing.
These are just a few of the physical benefits of Ballroom dancing.
for a related NPR article, go to
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6622283