Physical activity helps control your blood pressure, manage your weight, strengthen your heart and manage stress levels. Some people dread a trip to the gym, and feel that physical activity is boring, but if you incorporate aerobic dance into your workout, you can get the benefits of a workout while making it fun. Many gyms offer a variety of aerobic dance classes, including step aerobics, Zumba, latin dance, belly dance and hip-hop dance.
Zumba
Zumba started in the mid-1990s, when aerobics instructor Alberto Perez forgot his regular workout music and had to put together his own mix with tapes from his backpack. The mix of salsa and merengue allowed the music to move the people rather than relying on Perez to count the reps over the beat. The Latin-inspired dance workout is catching on in many fitness clubs worldwide, and according to the Zumba Fitness website, it is the largest and most successful dance-fitness program, taught in more than 110,000 locations to more than 12 million people. Some Zumba classes incorporate a 30-minute circuit training workout, weights or resistance training, or are geared for senior citizens or children.
Jazzercise
Jazzercise is a group fitness class that combines a dance-based cardio workout with weight training and stretching. The idea behind Jazzercise is to create a complete body workout that helps sculpt, tone and lengthen muscles to burn the maximum amount of body fat. Jazzercise classes last 60 minutes and consist of a combination of jazz dance, Pilates, kickboxing, yoga and resistance training.
Belly Dancing
Belly dancing is one of the oldest forms of dance and originates from a variety of ancient cultures from the orient, to India, to the Middle East. Americans first experienced belly dancing at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, when famous dancer Little Egypt performed. Belly dancing was often performed for women during fertility rites or pre-marital parties — places where men were not permitted. Belly dance focuses on the isolation of different body parts to move them in a set, sensuous pattern. Often performed barefoot, belly dancing is said to connect the dancer's body with Mother Earth. Belly dancing is often performed by women, because the female musculature and bone structure lends itself to the dance movements; however, some men are taking up the dance as a workout routine.
Hip-hop
Hip-hop dance is incorporated into a variety of cardiovascular dance workouts in many gyms because it is a high-intensity workout and many motions are repeated for extended periods of time. This makes it a great way to burn calories and an easy form of dance to learn, due to the repetition. Dave Van Daff, senior director of education and development for Bally Total Fitness, says that hip-hop requires explosive and powerful plyometric movements that develop strength, flexibility and endurance over time. Such high-intensity moves help burn fat, increase bone density and build muscle, making you stronger.
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