Cardio fitness the fun way - dancing

Nearly everyone likes to dance but not everyone likes cardio exercise. Now you can dance and get a great cardio fitness workout too - whatever your age.

As we all know heart pumping aerobic exercise is an essential part of any anti aging health strategy.  But - for many of us - “workout boredom” can get in the way.

Twice weekly visits to the gym to pound the treadmill or the exercise machines soon lose their attraction. And one thing you really need when you are trying to tone up and lose weight is motivation. So why not step out to a 4-beat-bar and join a salsa class?

Dance fitness, also known as “beat-based” fitness, is becoming big business in gyms and dance studios and a hot favorite among celebrities. Some of the most popular dance fitness forms:

• Ballroom dancing - fuelled by recent reality TV programs which put well known names through their dance paces - is experiencing a renaissance in the UK and Europe. Bring a sense of grace and elegance to your life, as well as a heart pumping workout. Posture is enhanced as well as balance and flexibility. No doubt about it this is strenuous exercise - but at its most graceful and fluid.

• Belly dancing is good for balance and posture. This dance strengthens the back and the muscles of the pelvic floor. It tones hamstrings, thighs, abs, glutes and hips. It’s a great place to start for beginners but, as you progress, dance moves can be faster and more aerobic giving you a full body workout. Great for toning the abdominal flab and developing core strength - gently.

• Line dancing is considered low impact but it definitely has the ability to get your heart rate up. Forget the old country and western image - line dancing has expanded its horizons. The music can be soulful, swing, Latin, jazz, urban nightclub, and even the waltz and foxtrot can be done in a line - no partner needed.

• You know about Salsa but what about Cardio Salsa for a more exciting workout? This Latin street dance is similar to the mambo, but faster; sort of a mambo-hustle mix. Wildly popular in nightclubs as well as health clubs, all forms of Latin dance are being taught as dance fitness.

• Swing, West Coast Swing, Jive or Boogie, can be found in a line dance as well as their traditional partnered form. Just “boogie on down,” to improve general health, find flexibility you never thought achievable, tone muscle and have the time of your life.

• Pole Dancing, now out of the strip clubs and in your local gym, is a new fitness craze, but it isn’t for the unfit. Good upper body and core strength are key to success on the pole. Think of it: one arm is supporting most of your weight as you try to propel yourself into a move or two. Women are loving this very aerobic form of exercise, but it’s not “aerobic” until you can support yourself and swing off the pole…more than once.

All forms of dance fitness share the bonus of combining fun with a great cardio workout. Many of them are also great forms of core exercise  - developing strength in those core muscles which are so essential for fighting abdominal flab in our forties and beyond. There’s also the promise of reduced blood pressure, a new body, stronger bones and a great laugh with new friends.

Beat based fitness is as diverse as the instructors are creative. You may find other forms of exotic and ethnic dance, as well as hip-hop, in your area. Whatever form of dance you fancy - from Bollywood routines to hip-hop - get yourself to a dance floor and let the stress fall away as the beat begins.

As a Japanese proverb puts it: “We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.”

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