It’s a boom on social media and in gyms: It’s becoming more and more common to hear that Zumba, hip hop, ballet, ballroom, modern or urban dance classes are opening. Dancing is the key exercise to combat sedentary lifestyle and, although it is common to do it at a party or family gatherings, it can be a great way to exercise regularly and enjoy.It is that in addition to being fun, while it is practiced, dancing generates health benefits: exercises memory and coordination, works the muscles, oxygenates the brain and blood, and energizes.
Dancing is probably one of the innate cultural activities of the human being, It is one of the most primitive actions known. It is built in such a way that anytime a beat is heard, the body moves and relaxes to the rhythm of the music.
Also in a research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences it was found that newborns respond in a special way to music since after a few months of life they are capable of synchronizing their movements with musical rhythmswhich gives them a special pleasure: they smile more. Is there any doubt about the benefits that dance generates in humans?
“The work that provides dance has to do with the essence of man, the physical, mental and spiritual. You can train to do tennis, athletics or volleyball but these disciplines do not connect with expressiveness or the ability to communicate emotions, they do not channel this emotional aspect that dance has, “he says. Marisa De Risidirector of the dance academy, Endorfine Dance.
“I have been dancing since I was five years old, I consider it to be a highly disciplined activity and whenever I finish a class I leave very happy and calm,” says 22-year-old Lourdes, who takes dance classes daily. “When you dance, you find yourself and lose yourself at the same time. “, Add.
De Risi affirms that dance also has a social character since, unlike other types of training, dance is usually practiced in company: this means that It helps build new interpersonal relationships and improve social skills.
Moving your body is good for you because it allows you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as well as achieving a feeling of well-being and stimulating your cardiovascular system and muscles. In other words, the dance increases physical capacity, coordination, memory and agility. Even has a very beneficial impact on brain plasticity, flexible thinking and self-controlas well as help reverse volume loss in the hippocampus.
It is also proven that when dancing endorphins are released, substances produced by the brain that relieve physical pain, produce a feeling of well-being and even euphoria. It provides benefits essentially for the mind, body and soul. In this way, moving the body helps on an emotional level because the mind rests, it disconnects from the daily routine and problems; It generates a feeling of freedom and the person can, through the body, express themselves. In addition, in a dance class there is an initial muscle warm-up, a series of exercises and technical repetitions, and finally stretching.
For De Risi, dance is so comprehensive that even in other countries the boys take classes at school since The psychomotor development that dancing provides them benefits the learning of other disciplines such as science, language and mathematics. “Music helps you understand everything and unconsciously you are incorporating mathematics, you divide music and rhythm,” he says.
A research carried out by the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex), adds as one of the advantages: “During the activity, people forget about problems because they concentrate on each step of the dance, they are distracted, which allows them to overcome emotional difficulties”. And depending on the type of the dance, the person can explore the creative side of it by staging or inventing a choreography.
For Charlie San Martin, also known as “the celebrity coach”, dancing is one of the most complete physical workouts that exist because it trains your soul, your head and takes your backpacks out of your head. “There is a life before and after dancing”, he points out.
In addition, he shares his personal experience: when he was a child he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis -a disease that affects the joints of the body and causes pain and inflammation- and he was almost immobile. Over time He discovered his passion for dancing and for making people move and today he lives by teaching what he discovered did him so well.
“I would introduce it as aerobic work. The dance will make us burn calories in a fun and very dynamic way. Not only will we exercise, but we will also have a good time to the rhythm of the music and we will obtain benefits on a physical, mental and emotional level”, San Martín replies.
The majority, though, will depend on the dance and its physical demands because the different rhythms generate more or less stimulation. For example, in the break dance the resistance strength of the upper body is much more important; On the other hand, dance requires greater precision and stability. The key is to vary. “In the same class I have students who do high impact dance and at the same time others who do low impact. The same choreo can be adapted for all kinds of ages and tastes”, clarifies San Martín.
• Strengthens the bones, preventing the onset of osteoporosis.
• Develops muscles and provides flexibility.
• Prevents joint problems.
• Improves the sense of balance.
• Increases resistance to effort.
• Improves blood pressure and is a good prevention for heart disease.
• Controls cholesterol level.
• Prevents senile dementia.
• Strengthens memory by having to memorize the dance steps.
• It is a social activator that helps break loneliness.
• Lowers the level of stress.
• It helps to sleep.
• It enhances self-esteem because it makes the person learning to dance feel more secure and comfortable while dancing.
• It activates the brain and is a great neurological aid because it forces us to focus on the choreography, memorize the steps and maintain coordination at all times.
This is a key point. To start you have to hydrate. In a one-hour class you can lose up to two liters of body water. It is recommended to consume a quarter liter of liquid every 15 minutes. Ideally, drink water or sports drinks and avoid consuming sodas.
On the other hand, it is recommended to take a snack before the activity. Due to the high energy expenditure that is made while dancing, it is ideal to eat a snack (cereal bar, cookie, fruit or similar) 1 or 2 hours before physical activity.
To finish, the proteins They are key to repairing the breakdown of muscle fibers that wear out with constant use. Some of the high-protein foods are: skinless chicken, red meat or tofu, wheat gluten, legumes, potatoes or rice.