Who says that exercise has to be grueling or boring?  More and more people are getting into the dance craze.  Dancing is a way to let loose and have fun while learning a new step or remembering steps that you knew a long time ago.

Dancing can be used to get regular physical activity into your daily routine.  Exercise keeps the body younger for longer.  Muscle mass increases and bone health improves.  Because you have to learn and remember the different steps of the dance, your brain is also getting a workout that builds new synaptic pathways and increases brain power.

Ballroom dancing is just one form of dance but it combines different dance techniques.  It features dances done by partners and can be slow or fast depending on the type of dance you are performing.  Modern ballroom dancing includes Latin dances, as well as American-style dancing that features a lot of dips, turns, and quick movements.

Dancing has many benefits for the body, mind and spirit.  First of all it is a low-impact form of exercise that provides a weight-bearing component.  You can strengthen your bones and muscles as you twirl.  The entire body gets a workout.  Doing many of the steps requires certain positions for the arms and legs which mean the abs are engaged the entire time.

Over time, you develop stamina as you get used to the movements and the time it takes to complete the dancing class.  Well-conditioned muscles are more flexible and give a slender look to the body.

So what are you waiting for?  Keep the mind young, the body firm and the spirit high with a little ballroom dancing.

Get Energized with Hip-Hop Dance

Hip-hop dancing is all the rage among teenagers and young adults, but it is great for everyone. These dance moves can be put together in a routine that is great exercise for young and old alike. Get energized with a refreshing and high-powered type of dancing.

What is hip-hop dancing? It started in the neighborhoods with kids moving to their favorite music and making up dance steps. When music videos hit the air, people outside of the neighborhoods got to see what others had been doing for years. It didn’t have a name then, but today it is called hip-hop dancing.

Hip-hop is a combination of beats and rhythms from rap music, reggae, techno music, Latin dancing, tap and jazz. All of this is put together into a variety of moves. Hip-hop dancing is freestyle dancing and the moves can be done in any combination to the music. It is an expression of your style and your feelings.

Do you remember break dancing? That is a form of hip-hop dance. Nowadays, hip-hop dancing is done from the standing position and not so much on the ground. But, break dancing is still popular in big cities.
Hip-hop uses the entire body. This makes it great for overall exercise. Besides that, it is fun to move to the music. It hardly seems like exercise at all to the kids. They burn fat and calories in clubs, at home and in dance studios while enjoying themselves.

Can you do hip-hop? Of course you can, with a little tutorial. What make it more like exercise are the sharpness with which the steps are done, and the poses. Holding moves (isometric exercise) engages the muscles to build stronger fibers.

The center of your body is your abdominal region and back. Balance is important when you do these moves so the abs gets a lot of work to keep them lean and strong. At first the moves will seem foreign but as you practice, your body will become more fluid and the moves second nature.

Hip-hop moves are done with both upper and lower body. When learning moves like the slide or jumps get the lower body movements first and then add the upper body. It’s easier to learn that way. Lower body moves will always engage the abs, which actually prevents a lot of injury.

Steps are done to the beat of the music. Whichever moves you put together will flow using the music as a guide.

Take a hip-hop choreography class for beginners to learn the most popular moves right now. As you get better, more complicated hip-hop styles like crimping (similar to an urban form of slam dancing) will be next on your list of things to try.

And with that hip and hop and hurray the beautiful new you!