Many of you know that ballroom dancing can be an exciting and rewarding social activity, but did you know that there are a variety of physical benefits of learning to dance? Dancing just doesn’t seem like exercise, yet it offers a total body workout, using all of the major muscle groups and providing heart-healthy benefits.

Getting fit should be pleasurable, not boring. Ballroom dancing can actually burn as many calories as a gym workout. For many people looking to get fit, the dance floor offers an exhilarating alternative to the drudgery of the gym, and experts say sticking to an exercise regime is much easier when it’s not a chore. That does make a lot of sense- if you enjoy what you’re doing, you look forward to it and won’t be looking for excuses for why you can’t get into shape!

Depending on the dance-including Latin, Swing, Country Western or even Tango– ballroom dancing can burn anywhere from 250 to 400 calories an hour – about the same as a brisk half-hour walk on a treadmill. What’s great is the more fast-paced ballroom-Latin dances like the Salsa and Cha Cha Cha, can even be compared to an intense session at the gym. Wouldn’t you rather be out somewhere at a Latin dance club or Country bar here in the Phoenix East Valley area kicking up your heels dancing, instead of being on a treadmill?

Feeling like your get-up-and-go just got up and went? Taking a ballroom dance lesson or group class may just help. Research has found that dancing can increase energy levels. A lot of us have sedentary lifestyles, with more people working in offices instead of in physical jobs, which can really leave you feeling drained of all your vigor. Once you get yourself out on the dance floor, dancing will rev up your metabolism and get that blood flowing so you will feel yourself starting to come alive again!

Ballroom dancing can also increase your flexibility. By using muscles that you may not always be using on a regular basis, you will begin to find that stretches you once couldn’t do will give way to flexibility. Not only will ballroom dancing increase your flexibility, it will help with your balance and posture. Staying flexible helps to prevent the loss of mobility, which ensures independence as we age. Being flexible also significantly reduces the chance of experiencing occasional and chronic back pain. So, not only are you having fun dancing, you’re also helping to make sure that you stay flexible-two things that will make your mother happy by standing up tall and straight! 🙂

Maybe you would love to dance, but you are afraid that you may not be skilled enough to be a social ballroom dancer.  That is where we at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona con help you. Over the last decade, we have has taught thousands of people get out there and dance with private ballroom dance lessons.  From the ever popular Country Two Step to the fun-loving Swing, it doesn’t matter which dance you learn first. Give ballroom dance lessons a try and you will see your body transform itself before long.