Dancing--even if it involves leg-warmers, hairspray and '80s music--can be a motivational way to lose weight. If you seek a new routine or a way to stick to a weight-loss plan, try your hand or feet at dancing. There are so many different types to choose from--hip-hop, ballroom, contra, Latin. Consult your doctor before beginning.
Weight-Loss Basics
The Mayo Clinic website discusses the basic information you need to lose weight in a healthy way. The site recommends talking to your doctor about your desire to lose weight and seeking support. The basic principle of weight loss is that you have to burn more calories than you take in. Calories are units used to measure the energy output of the food you eat. Too much energy taken in without enough given out or "burned off" equals weight gain. Thus, increasing your exercise, under a doctor's supervision, and safely decreasing the amount of calories you eat can put you on the road to weight loss. Dancing burns calories.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Dancing is a cardiovascular or cardio activity. The Mayo Clinic recommends 30 to 60 minutes of moderate cardio exercise most days of the week to help burn calories. Cardio involves movement that increases your heart rate, which builds endurance, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. If you're new to exercise, start slowly and work your way up. If the thought of dancing for hours every week makes you bored, try different dance classes. Several varieties offer different benefits and can keep you on your weight-loss plan.
Belly Dancing
If you want a way to tone your abs in addition to raising your heart rate, belly dancing is the perfect combination. The Wellesley College Belly Dancing Society says belly dancing can be traced to the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Africa. Utilizing "core" muscles such as the abs--as well as the hips and the chest--this sensual and rhythmic dance can have you shaking and shimmying those calories away. If you feel self-conscious going to a class by yourself, choose from a plethora of belly dancing videos. Call a friend and plan a belly dance to start your day.
Ballroom Dancing
You may think of ballroom dancing as being sedate and stiff, but you might be surprised that it encompasses a variety of dances such as the shag, swing, fox trot, Latin and the waltz. The waltz may be a lower-key dance, but you can certainly work up a sweat twirling around to swing or salsa music. The more effort you put in, the more calories you burn. Healthstatus.com has a calorie calculator. You input your exercise and weight and you get an approximation of how many calories you'll burn. If you weigh 170 lbs. and you engage in slow ballroom dancing for 45 minutes, you burn approximately 175 calories. If you're doing the more vigorous forms of ballroom dance for the same amount of time, you can burn 321 calories.
Zumba
Zumba is a combination of Latin dance, aerobics and interval training. If you're looking for something that is available at a gym rather than a dance studio, classes such as Zumba may be enticing. Look for cardio dance classes at your gym. Maintaining a workout theme, this particular class partners a motivational instructor with hordes of sweaty, pumped-up people clapping their hands and shaking their hips. Healthstatus.com's calculator says that a 170-lb. person performing an aerobic dance class for 45 minutes burns about 344 calories.
Considerations
Many more dance options exist than are listed here, so explore what's in your area. If you would rather stay at home, find some workout DVDs and make a date with a friend. Dance with your kids while you make dinner, or just turn on the music and groove with the mop during your weekend cleaning. Dance can be easy to incorporate into your life, and every step burns more calories.
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