Salsa Dancing Not Only Benefit The Young Ones But Also The Young At Heart
For centuries, Music and Dancing has been a part of different cultures and societies. They are the main ingredients in celebrations and entertainment. Salsa dancing, and dancing in general, also have numerous and incredible health benefits.
The health benefits of dancing Salsa and other types of dance are worth taking a look at, especially with the major obesity epidemic many Western cultures and societies are facing today.
Dancing is not only a way to have fun and let loose, but it also provides some outstanding health benefits. Mayo Clinic researchers in the United States reported social dancing having the following health benefits: an increase in coordination & muscle tone, an improvement in strength, an increase in energy levels, and stress reduction. People who dance all night long burn more calories than the ones swimming or riding a bicycle. Salsa dancing is not only trendy, but it is also one of the best cardiovascular exercises in existence, shredding about 10 calories a minute or 420 calories an hour. A Dutch study compared a Salsa dance class with a good tennis match.
Related Article: Tips To Grow As A New Salsa Dancer
Whether one chooses to dance Hip Hop, Country, or Salsa, the American Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says that dancing can strengthen the bones of legs and hips, help people manage their weight, decrease blood pressure, and lower the risk of coronary heart disease. Social dancing is a unique exercise because it provides the heart-healthy bonuses of an aerobic exercise while allowing the dancers to engage in social activities.
The amount of benefits of dancing are directly linked with the type of dance, the duration, the skill level of the dancers, and how strenuous the dance is. Salsa dancing can lead to a reduced heart rate over time, may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, helps the dancers to release toxins through sweating, relieves stress, helps with weight loss, and builds endurance & stamina.
Dancing Those Dreaded Calories Away
The amount of calories a person burns depends on the type of dance he or she dances. A 150-pound person will burn 235 calories per hour when dancing Swing Dance. A Ballroom dancer having the same the same weight will burn 265, a Square dancer will burn 280, a Ballet dancer 300, a Belly dancer 380, a Salsa dancer 420+, and an Aerobic or Zumba dancer will burn 540+ calories per hour.
Related Article: 6 Tips For Salsa Dancing On A Budget
Mental Health Benefits of Salsa Dancing
Social activities are very stimulating to the mind. One 21-year old study published in the New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing potentially reduces the risk of elderly persons getting dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. The study of several 75 year-olds engaging in 11 recreational activities had only dancing as physical exercise that was associated with a lower risk of dementia.
A neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a lead researcher of the study, Joe Verghese, said, “This is perhaps because dance music engages the dancer’s mind.” Verghese also mentioned dancing potentially having a triple benefit for the brain: the increase of blood flow to the brain, the increase social aspects such as less stress, depression or loneliness, and mental challenges to the brain by remembering dance steps.
Health Benefits of Dancing Salsa | Salsa Lifestyle | OnlineSalsa.com
For further reading, see this great article: 9 Health Benefits of Dance
This article was originally posted at onlinesalsa.com as Health Benefits of Salsa Dancing on 23 May 2010
