Aerobic dance, whether a structured fitness class, a workout video or a night of clubbing, offers substantial benefits to your heart, lungs, muscles and bones. Because the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association both recommend healthy adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, incorporating aerobic dance into your exercise program can improve your health while you have fun.
Physiological Benefits
Regular aerobic exercise lowers your risk for a host of chronic diseases, from heart disease and stroke to diabetes and cancer. Aerobic exercise requires your heart and lungs to work harder than they do at rest. Because aerobic exercise increases the strength of the heart muscle, it pumps blood to the rest of your body more efficiently. Your lungs deliver more oxygen to your blood, providing more nutrients to your cells. Dancing burns a high number of calories, which can help you maintain a healthy weight and it helps release endorphins, natural chemicals that increase your sense of well-being. Keep your workouts interesting by varying the types of exercise you perform each week.
Body-sculpting Benefits
The majority of aerobic dance moves use your legs, hips, stomach and buttocks. Dancing exercises your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteals, abdominals and other muscles of your lower body. Using your muscles to the point of exhaustion forces them to rebuild the tiny tears that result from overwork. Your body then builds more muscle, which creates a lean, toned look. As you lose fat, your firm muscles become more visible under your skin. Aerobic dance exercises help you lose fat while building lean muscle.
Dance Exercise Types
Traditional aerobic workouts evolved from simple exercises, such as jumping jacks, to highly-stylized, ethnically-infused dance moves set to heart-pounding music. At the time of publication, aerobics dance ranges from easy grapevines set to the music of the 1960s to intricate, twists, lunges and hip-gyrations pulsing to the blaring beats of Latin-inspired salsa or Broadway jazz. Zumba, the "fitness party" craze developed in the mid-90s, combines electrifying music with aerobic moves that emphasize letting the music move your body over counting a specific number of repetitions. Other forms of aerobic dance include Jazzercise, Bollywood Dance, Hip Hop and a plethora of genre-themed dance routines.
Warning
While aerobic dance exercises benefit most healthy people, including children and seniors, the non-stop, sometimes jarring movements can be uncomfortable or dangerous for people with certain medical conditions. If you have heart disease, lung disease or another serious medical condition, check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. If you suffer from joint or bone conditions, such as arthritis or osteoporosis, consult a doctor or fitness professional before beginning aerobic dance exercises.
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