When you want to lose weight but hate to exercise, consider making time for regular dancing to reach your fitness goals. Depending on the type of dancing you participate in, regular sessions can help you burn fat while increasing agility and flexibility. You can dance at home with an instructional DVD, interactive video game or sign up for a dancing-themed workout class at a local fitness center.
Time Frame
Aim to dance at least three times per week for 60 minutes or longer. Depending on the type of dancing you participate in and your current weight, you may burn as much as 657 to 1,692 calories per week. Since it takes 3,500 calories to burn 1 lb. of fat, this can put you on track for slow and steady weight loss.
Low Intensity
For a low-intensity workout, consider taking a ballroom dancing class. According to MayoClinic.com, if you weigh 160 lbs, you'll burn an average of 219 calories in one hour of dancing. This calorie burn rate is slightly more than walking at a speed of 2 mph for 60 minutes and moderate stretching for an hour.
High Intensity Dancing
Faster paced dancing classes can help you burn more calories than mild ballroom dancing. For instance, if you weigh 155 lbs, you'll burn about 406 calories during an hour long salsa dancing session, according to "Glamour" magazine. If you participate in fast paced ballroom dancing for 60 minutes and weigh 155 lbs, you'll burn about 387 calories per hour.
Considerations
Use a video game to get moving on your dancing workout. For instance, "Dance Dance Revolution" is a title available on multiple consoles and requires the user to complete various dance moves to advance. According to a 2007 commissioned by the American Council on Exercise and performed at the University of Wisconsin, researchers found that the light mode of "Dance Dance Revolution" burned an average of 5.9 calories per minute while the difficult mode burned 9.4 calories per minute. The standard mode burned 7.7 calories per minute.
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