We often talk about dancing as an art that we love to pursue, but we often overlook the benefits of dance fitness. Dance is also a sport. It’s hard work. And all that work has huge payoffs.
1) Dance to Build Strength
It might not be weightlifting, dancing isn’t going to make you visibly jacked, but toning and working your entire body day after day builds a lot of strength. Committed dancers can’t help but have a lean, toned physique.
2) The Power to Endure
You need grit to get through a dance class. If you stick to a regular dance schedule, putting in the hours week after week, your endurance will get a huge boost. Your day-to-day energy levels will benefit too, affecting your work performance and enabling you to outlast any of your friends on the dancefloor on a night out too.
3) Surprising Dexterity
If you know a lot of dancers, do you notice they’re just a bit more graceful than other people? When you’re moving every part of your body in a controlled motion each day you become nimble and agile. It’s subtle, but you’ll be better with your hands, more at ease when walking, delicate or forceful in your movements depending on the situation. Others pick up on that too.
4) Stay Coordinated
Dance fitness means your whole body works in tandem like a finely tuned machine. If you’ve ever seen a dancer who’s also waiting tables, they can carry three plates and a card machine in one arm and a tray of drinks on the other while weaving their way through a restaurant as busy as a dancefloor. Moving at speed without taking a tumble isn’t as easy as it looks.
5) Dance Fitness Boosts Flexibility
Building up your dance fitness will ensure your body has a healthy range of motion. Keeping all of your joints and muscles springy will have you feeling healthy and youthful even as you age, along with a whole range of health benefits. Take note of the non-dancers in your life who are constantly cracking their backs, necks, and joints.
6) Fast Reflexes
Once again, the benefits of having great coordination and reflexes might not be immediately obvious unless you moonlight as a superhero. But when you’re driving, when something gets knocked over or dropped, if someone around you falls, or the rare occasion you need to get out of the way of something dangerous—see stepping off the curb when a car’s coming the other way—having fast reactions is going to pay off in a big way.
7) A Dancer’s Posture
Step into your later years tall and proud. How you carry yourself can have huge health benefits, so focusing on posture in dance class pays dividends over time. Standing up straight has been known to boost confidence too. It also looks better than slouching.
8) Finding Balance
Tripping and falling is never fun. As a dancer, you’ve probably experienced it a little more than most people your age. But getting your falls in now—and more importantly training yourself to avoid them—will serve you well later in life. Dance fitness is on the rise in retirement communities for just this reason.
9) Dancing to Lower Stress
Dancing is great for you at any age. Getting up and simply moving for 30 minutes a day is recommended for everyone, while doing a proper workout that pushes you is even more important for younger people. Not only does your body remain fit, but your brain also releases anti-stress hormones, like serotonin and endorphins, which help regulate your mood. The less stress you have now, the less likely you are to be susceptible to it in future. Your body processes its tension through exercise too, so when you push your dance fitness to a new level, you’re also getting rid of old stress lurking in your body.
Not convinced to start moving yet? Check out our article on 7 ways dancing is good for the body and soul. If you need to look your best and move freely, check out our dancewear store.
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