To dance your heart out means to dance with as much energy as possible. It also means to dance until your heart pumps more blood to all your vital organs, including your brain, leaving you feeling invigorated and revitalized! So yes, dancing is good for your body and your brain. But dancing is also multidimensional. It is not only a physical activity but has psychological, spiritual, and social effects. Before we look at the health benefits of dancing, let’s review the physiological changes in our hearts and other organs of the body as we dance.
What happens in our hearts and other organs when we dance?
A healthy adult heart pumps about 5 liters of blood every minute when a person is resting. Dancing causes your heart to beat faster and stronger to pump more blood to the rest of your body. If you literarily dance your heart out, your heart can pump up to 15 to 20 liters of blood per minute to the other organs in your body. This increased blood flow ensures a continuous supply of oxygen and other nutrients to your brain and other vital organs.
Consequently, the increased flow of blood, nutrients and oxygen to the brain helps develop stronger connections between your brain cells. Ultimately, having a more robust brain network will improve your long-term memory and reduce your risk of dementia. In addition, your brain produces more serotonin when you dance, which lifts your mood and makes you happier.
The heart and the brain are not the only organs in your body that benefit from dancing. Your other organs, including your lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, etc., benefit when you dance your heart out. Now, let’s look at some of the health benefits of dancing.
Health benefits of dancing
1) You become more agile and more flexible.
2) Your coordination improves.
With better coordination, you are less likely to fall, which is especially important as we get older.
3) Your heart becomes healthier.
Dancing improves your heart health, even way more than walking. However, walking is excellent for your heart too.
4) Dancing can lower your blood pressure.
5) You become stronger and more toned.
Dancing is a bodyweight exercise to help strengthen and tone your muscles, especially your neck and core muscles. And this is something we definitely need to help us age gracefully and avoid muscle aches and pains.
6) Your risk of osteoporosis decreases as you build stronger bones from dancing.
7) Dancing helps you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.
8) Your brain function, learning, and memory improve with dancing.
9) Dancing may reduce your risk of dementia.
10) Your mood improves when you dance.
Dancing reduces anxiety and depression. As a matter of fact, the commonest motivation for dancing is mood enhancement in both men and women.
11) Dancing improves your self-esteem.
Mastering a new dance boosts your confidence and self-esteem and improves your psychological wellbeing.
12) You become more social.
Dancing with or around others enhances your social and emotional health. When you dance to music synchronously, your brain releases endorphins and other natural opioids, facilitating social bonding.
13) You can use dancing as a praise tool.
“Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; Praise him with strings and flutes” (Psalm 150:4, NLT).
14) Dancing can bring about transformation.
Through dancing, God can turn your depression into gladness.
“The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” (Jeremiah 31:13, NLT).
For more on transformation, please check out “12 Steps to Personal Growth and Transformation.”
If you carefully examine these health benefits of dancing, you will notice that the benefits are pretty similar to the health benefits of exercise. However, dancing has its unique advantages over other aerobic physical activities.
Advantages of dancing for exercise
1) It’s your move!
Dancing is very versatile and adaptable. With dancing, you have limitless options. Dance-inspired workouts can range from ballroom and ballet to hip hop, Bollywood, and even the African dance, Zazu. You can never get bored with dancing as there is always another style of dance to try.
2) Ditch the gym!
You may need a gym membership for certain exercises such as weightlifting. However, with dancing, you can exercise in the comfort of your home at whatever time you choose.
3) You are all in!
Dancing is a total body workout because it often involves moving every part of your body. Rather than the repetitive movements associated with other forms of exercise, such as running, dancing activates your muscles in new ways and involves all planes of motion. So, if your goal is to stay trim everywhere, dancing can be your go-to workout.
4) Time to make new friends!
Although you can dance alone, you can also socialize with others through dance. Dancing in synchrony with others helps to foster friendships. Therefore, if you want to make new friends, join a dance class!
5) Challenge your brain!
Regardless of your age, dancing is an excellent form of mental exercise. Focusing on the changing movements and recalling the dance moves keep the brain cells active and strengthen your brain cells’ connections.
6) Burn, baby, burn!
Regarding the number of calories you burn, dancing is similar to jogging. For example, during Zumba, you burn up to 9.5 calories per minute, about the same as jogging and more than the calories burned during power yoga, cardio kickboxing, or step aerobics. Although it varies by weight and type of dance, on average, a 30-minute dance class burns about 200 calories.
7) Trick your brain!
Dancing is a great way to sneak in your workouts if you dread exercising. Ultimately, working out will become less of a chore and more of an activity you look forward to doing.
Final thoughts
This morning, I suddenly came across a label on a T-shirt I have had for a while now and I couldn’t help but add it here to buttress my point. Please feel free to replace “booty” with “body” if it bothers you!
Now, let me share a little more about my dance history. I wanted to take ballroom dance classes for years, but I needed a partner. I used to have aspirations that my husband and I would take ballroom dance classes together, but I have since relinquished that idea. It would be so unkind of me to do that to him! Several years ago, he was willing to sacrifice and take the plunge with me as my birthday present. I was very excited when he enrolled us in dance classes. However, when the dance instructor fell and fractured her hip one week before the start of our dancing lessons, I took that as a sign that our dance lessons together were not ordained to be. Nevertheless, we still dance together sometimes, at least his version of dance!
Anyway, my point is, if my husband can dance, you can dance too. If you can move, you can dance. If you don’t want to call it dancing, call it something else – shuffle, wobble, or whatever name you fancy. And dance to whatever music you like, or no music at all. Create melody in your soul and flow with the rhythm. And when you dance, remember, you are doing it for your heart, and dance your heart out!
Please feel free to share your comments below, and also feel free to share this article.
Yours in health and fitness,
Doctor Abi
