The American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association jointly recommend that healthy adults do moderate cardio for 30 minutes a day, five times weekly or vigorous cardio for 20 minutes a day, three times weekly to maintain health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. If you're trying to lose weight, you may need to increase the amount of time to 60- to 90-minute sessions per day.
But this doesn't have to mean going to a gym. Anything that gets your large muscle groups moving, makes you break a sweat, and makes you breathe hard counts as aerobic exercise. With fun, social activities like salsa dancing, you may not even notice how hard you're working and that you are losing calories at the same time.
Master the Basic Step
Step 1
Listen to salsa music until you can hear a repeating four-count rhythm throughout the music. A salsa instructor or experienced dancer should be able to point out the rhythm and help give you a feel for it.
Step 2
Stand with your weight evenly balanced between both feet. Listen for the start of the next four-count rhythm. You can start dancing on either the first count or the second count of the rhythm, known as "on one" or "on two," respectively. For now, you'll probably find it easiest to start dancing on one.
Step 3
Step back with your right foot on the "one" count if you're a woman. Shift your weight to your right foot and lift your left foot very slightly.
If you're a man, step forward with your left food and then shift your weight onto your left foot. Lift your right foot very slightly.
Step 4
Shift your weight back to the foot that hasn't moved--left foot for women, right foot for men. This happens on the "two" count of the music.
Step 5
Bring your right foot back to center and weight it, freeing your left leg to move next if you're a woman. If you're a man, bring your left foot back to center and weight it. This happens on the "three" count of the music. Pause in place for the "four" count.
Step 6
Step forward on your left foot for the next "one" count if you're a woman. This time, you're doing what was previously the man's step. If you're a man, step back with your right foot on this "one" count, performing what was previously the woman's step. Continue alternating between forward steps on the left and backward steps on the right for each four-count of the rhythm.
Make it a Workout
Step 1
Warm up by dancing slowly and easily for the first couple of songs. Usually, you'd stretch as part of a cardio warm-up, but for obvious reasons this isn't an option in most salsa clubs. Instead, move slowly and easily until your muscles feel warm and limber.
Step 2
Dance up a storm. Depending on how busy the club is, you may be able to alternate partners and still dance almost every song, especially if you came as part of a group. But if you find yourself sitting more than you'd like to, look for a regular partner that wants to dance for weight loss, too.
Step 3
Dance slowly for the last few songs at the end of the night. This gives your body a chance to ease back into a resting state and cool down a bit before you leave.
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