Ballroom dancing is not only fun but great for your health. As you watch the fancy footwork of ballroom dancers, you may think that it’s an activity that’s out of your league or too difficult. However, with ballroom dance lessons, the activity can be a very enjoyable way to socialize and exercise. And, you can take ballroom dance lessons right here in Columbus, Ohio.

1. Improved flexibility

If you experience low back pain, ballroom dancing could be a solution. Tight hamstrings or lack of muscle stretches can lead to muscle soreness, especially in the low back. Ballroom dancing calls upon your muscles to bend and stretch to complete the movements.

Regularly participating in ballroom dance classes also encourages you to practice regular muscle stretches as you should start and end your sessions this way to protect against injuries and help the body repair itself after a dance session.

When you’re flexible, your muscles are elongated and optimized for longer intervals of activity. The more flexibility you have, the better mobility you’ll experience, which reduces your chances of injury. So, if you’re an endurance athlete who isn’t interested in yoga, adding ballroom dancing to your fitness routine can help you stay strong and injury-free.

Ballroom dancing promotes flexibility by using full-body motions that you don’t find in many other sports. These movements vary from long, sweeping movements to rapid bursts that call upon underused muscle groups and joints. You’ll also be required to shift your weight from one side of your body to the other regularly, which promotes better balance.

2. Fun social activity

Taking ballroom dance classes will expose you to a new group of people. You can connect on your favorite tunes, dance steps and more as you put your phone down and engage in conversation with new people.

Ballroom dance classes enable you to dance with different partners, thereby meeting more people. It invites you to exit your comfort zone and ask other partners to dance with you during song changes.

When you get out and engage with other people, it’s proven that you’ll boost your self-esteem, have a more positive outlook and decrease stress.

3. Creative outlet

If you’ve ever watched ballroom dancing, you’ve seen how a dancer can do the exact same footwork and steps as another but make it look completely different. That’s because there’s a lot of creativity and expression in dancing. Once you know the basic steps, you can begin to add your own flair and artistic license to have more fun with it.

You can dance to a variety of music types, which can bring out your creativity in different ways. As you get lost in the music, you can enjoy expressing yourself and your personality on the dancefloor.

As you watch other dancers, you can learn from their style and creativity as well as drawing ideas from your various partners. No matter where it comes from, unleashing your ideas and creativity through footwork and full body moves can be very freeing and enjoyable.

4. Conditioning and endurance

Ballroom dance sessions promote endurance as they call upon your cardiovascular health for extended periods of time and engage your whole body for extended periods of time. As you stretch out your dance sessions longer and longer, you’ll find this endurance applies to other areas of your life.

Both athletes looking to improve their endurance and non-athletes looking to establish fitness can benefit from the activity. The great part about building your endurance through ballroom dance is it’s not terribly taxing on your body and because it’s fun, you won’t even notice that an hour has passed.

Additionally, ballroom dance is great for your full body conditioning because it’s a great cardiovascular and aerobic activity. If you’re just getting started with cardio health, ballroom is a great place to start because movements can be as large or as small as you want them to be. So, as you get started you can keep your footwork small and tight as you work your way up to moving more quickly and freely about the dance floor as your cardio health improves.

As you improve your conditioning, you might find yourself losing weight, improving your heart health, promoting greater lung capacity, and reducing illnesses such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. This is because as a low-impact aerobic activity, ballroom dancing burns fat and can boost your metabolism. A 30-minute dance session can burn as many as 400 calories, which is equivalent to other activities like running or cycling but without the hard impact on your body.

5. Muscle tone and bone and joint health

In addition to conditioning and endurance, ballroom dancing also promotes improved muscle tone and bone and joint health. Ballroom dance moves include fast turns and spins as well as two-stepping, which all promote muscle tone.

One of the most used muscle groups in dancing is your legs. Dancers are known for having well-toned and strong legs because of the constant activity and shifts of your bodyweight, which engages all muscles in your legs.

Likewise, your bones and joints will thank you for the time you spend dancing. Dancing can actually protect you against osteoporosis and promote healing of your muscles and joints after surgery without the impact you would experience in other recovery and rebuilding exercises like cycling. The more you use your bones and joints in low-impact, strength building activities, the stronger you get and more you protect your body.

About ConfiDance Lifestyle

ConfiDance Lifestyle promotes wellness by recognizing that health is about the harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. Owner Michael Curtis has 15 years of experience working with clients and helping them find confidence and success in ballroom dancing.

As a local business in Columbus, Ohio, we can help you prepare for your wedding dance or simply learn a new skill and a new exercise outlet. If you’re looking to compete in ballroom dancing, we can help with that too as you master your skills. We teach a variety of dances and are ready to help you meet your goals. To get started, contact us.