If you haven’t been successful in losing weight by all those weight loss and fitness plans that promised to slim you down, you ought to look at something else. Perhaps dancing? You’re probably aware that dancing isn’t just an expression of art but is also a form of exercise. After all, it energizes your entire body and helps you lose all those extra calories that are sitting on your waist, hips and arms.
How dancing aids weight loss: When you dance using rhythmic steps, you move all your body parts or exercise your entire body. If you do this systematically for about 30 minutes, you can lose about 100 calories. You don’t burn as many calories by cycling, walking or swimming, so it’s a good investment in your time to go dancing. Besides, you have much better cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure rates and a slower heart rate. You also build good bone density and have more strength and energy, besides coordination and muscle tone.
What to consider before choosing to dance for weight loss: There are several important pointers to bear in mind before you can opt for dancing as a weight loss medium. They are:
- Dress sensibly: Wear loose clothing so that you’re comfortable.
- Ask your doctor: Consult your doctor before you choose this aerobic exercise.
- Your body composition: Since the human body composition is unique to one, you could lose weight faster or slower than others. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is higher than normal, you can lose about 1.5 kg per week, and if not, you could lose 0.68 kg per week.
Criteria for dancing regimen:
- Calorific intake: Dancing for weight loss increases your food intake. Since your body might need more calories, you can eat foods belonging to the various food groups, e.g. you can eat a piece of chicken with veggies.
- Set your time to dancercise: In order to lose weight dancing, you should invest about 20 minutes a day for about five days a week. Begin with a warm-up of about five minutes and a cool down of equal time.
- Choose your moves with care: To lose weight, move your entire body. Take one step forward with one foot and then put your other foot next to it and then go in the opposite direction. Extend your arms sideways up to shoulder level and let your heart start beating fast. Jog around the room if you like. Do anything creative; invent steps that you like doing bust just keep your limbs and body moving.
- Select your music well: Choose your music based on the part of your exercise regimen you’re on. For instance, for your warm-up or cool down, choose music that gives you about 94 beats or about 110 beats for the 20-minute period you’re going to be dancing.
Dances that can help you lose weight: There are many dance workouts that can help you lose weight. So, it’s no surprise that dancercising is extremely popular. You too can choose from the kinds of dances given below, to lose weight:
- Freestyle: There aren’t any set steps or body movements here to follow, so do your own thing in freestyle dancing. Lose all your inhibitions as you sway to the music and become flexible. Whatever your age group or gender, you can do it and ensure that your energy levels increase. Do this for 30 minutes a day to shed weight. Do it on your own or with like-minded friends but enjoy what you do.
Image by © Jen Nelson/Corbis - Hip Hop: This urban dance form is a high intensity workout because the maximum movements here are centered on the waist and hips, giving you a toned abdomen. If you do this dance for an hour, you can lose up to 250 calories.
Image by © Lane Oatey/Blue Jean Images/Corbis - Hip Hop Abs: Hip Hop Abs shapes and gives you a firm abs by doing steps that are similar to isolation exercises. Additionally, it also involves a high intensity cardio workout so that you build a six-pack ab. Lose weight significantly by doing the Hip Hop Abs three times a week.
Image by © Daniel Koebe/Corbis - Cabaret or Belly Dancing: This difficult dance form helps you have a toned abdomen, back and hips. Its slow and focused isometric movements give you flexibility and enhanced circulation. Shaking the belly helps burn calories. You also lose extra fat on your thighs, develop strong back muscles and have increased bone density. An hour of this exercise helps you shed 300 calories.
Image by © PBNJ Productions/Blend Images/Corbis - Salsa: This dance form has six set steps which help you lose 420 calories for every hour that you do the Salsa.
Image by © Tetra Images/Corbis - Zumba: Zumba is a mix of Salsa, Merengue, Rumba and Hip Hop. It’s a high intensity cardio workout that benefits your arms, legs and abs. You should do it three times a week.
Image credits: cc licensed by flickr photos - Jazzercise: Jazz helps tone the muscles and build muscle. With an hour of jazz, you can burn 600 calories. Do this for three times a week for effective weight loss.
Image credits: cc licensed by flickr photos - Ballet: Though one’s movements here are slow, yet it can give you a good body shape. It increases your flexibility, body strength and teaches you precision. You also have toned and muscles with ballet. This dance form demands a lot of concentration which increases your body flexibility and helps you shed extra weight.
Image by © Hybrid Images/cultura/Corbis - Pole Dancing: By climbing a pole or turning on it, your flexibility increases, your muscles are toned, you have a shapely body and you lose calories. A half hour’s pole dancing each day knocks off as much as 20 minutes of aerobics would.
Image credits: cc licensed by flickr photos - African Dance: This fun dance is very aerobic in nature, so it can help you lose a lot of weight while you enjoy yourself.
Beijing, China — Breakdancer — Image by © Lane Oatey/Blue Jean Images/Corbis