Dancing Your Way To Fitness

Step into any hot night spot and you see a flurry of movement. Arms pumping, feet stomping, hips twisting, and of course, sweat dripping. These movers, groovers and shakers may not realize it, but the dancing that makes them feel good is also good for their bodies. Dancing, experts say, burns calories, boosts energy, improves circulation and tones muscle--which leads to increased strength, endurance and flexibility. In fact, dancing can burn just as many calories as other, more "traditional" exercises, like brisk walking or downhill skiing. In addition, dancing relieves tension and stress, improves your mood and serves as an outlet for your creativity.

Dancing also is convenient. Forget about expensive equipment or workout clothes. All you need is your body and the willingness to have fun. Have you always wanted to learn salsa or African dance? Here's your chance to fulfill a dream and at the same time get in shape. Many local YMCAs, health clubs and even neighborhood gyms offer classes in different dance techniques. Or if you would rather keep it informal, consider grooving in your living room or getting down with Puff Daddy as you wash dishes.

Whether you jam to hip-hop, reggae beats or glide across the room in step with the Electric Slide, you're getting the job done. If you're moving to the music, you're practicing good health and fitness.

Dancing, in all of its varied forms, is a perennially popular activity because it's fun. But what makes it such a good choice for fitness, says Charlotte A. Williams, an international fitness veteran based in San Francisco, is convenience and affordability.

"You don't have to go someplace special to do it," she says. "You can do it anywhere--at home. No special equipment is needed other than inspiring, motivating music that you can dance passionately to and let yourself go. If you're uninhibited, you'll burn more calories. And if you're at home, you're bound to be less inhibited."

Additionally, dance can be an attractive fitness option for people who aren't big fans of exercise, especially because it allows people to express their creativity in a way that stairmasters, treadmills or traditional aerobics classes can't quite match. "When people are inspired by music, whether it's Afro-Haitian, contemporary R&B or disco, they want to move," adds Williams, who is also a fitness video choreographer and member of the International Dance Exercise Association. "Music is a motion, and dancing allows you to interpret music through your body."

Perhaps for this very reason, an increasing number of health clubs and dance studios are blurring the lines that separate social dancing from traditional aerobics. Ditching the old one-two-stretch-and-lift routine, many exercise classes now feature reggae, jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Latin and African elements, making them popular fitness alternatives. These classes, which often have creative names like Afro-robics and Cardio Soul, are also big draws because people can take the smooth moves they learn in class directly to the dance floor.

Whether you're a dancing diva or a Hokey Pokey dropout, experts say that dancing is an exercise for everyone, even the habitually uncoordinated. If rhythm isn't your middle name, take a dance class to catch up on the steps.

Cynthia Anderson, who teaches a stepping class at Kennedy-King College in Chicago, says that students of all ages and abilities come to learn or perfect their dancing skills. "It's more exciting when you have a group," Anderson says. "Everybody sparks each other."

If shaking your shimmy in public fills you with fear, ask a friend or relative who can set the floor on fire to give you some pointers. Or just dance in the privacy of your home. That way, the only person who will know you have two left feet is you. "It's no crime not to be able to follow a beat," fitness expert Williams assures. "Just get out there and dance."

Whether you want to include dancing in an existing exercise regimen or use it as a starting point to fitness, experts say that you should approach dancing as you would any exercise. A minimum of three times a week, 20 minutes a session will yield cardiovascular results. But if your goal is to burn calories and lose weight, you need to increase those numbers.

But if you haven't exercised in a long while, don't imitate James Brown or Tina Turner too quickly. Get a checkup from your doctor before you begin a dance routine since strenuous dancing, or any exercise for that matter, could aggravate an existing problem.

Take it slow initially, and don't go beyond your skill or fitness level. For an older person with no fitness background, 45 minutes of moderate dancing once a week is a good starting point. But if you're younger or more physically fit, you probably could tolerate more. During your program, don't dance to the point that you're gasping for air. You should work at a pace that's just beyond your level of comfort, but still allows you to hold a conversation. As with any exercise, warm up and cool down your muscles with stretches to prevent cramps and injury.