Is Ballroom Dancing Really Exercise?
I recently read a wonderful analogy about dancing on the Time magazine website. Rick Smeeton, a lecturer at University of Brighton, compared dancing to a car being driven in the city. Frequent stopping, starting, and changing direction pushes the body to burn a lot of calories just as it causes a car to use more fuel. In fact, while engaging in partner dancing you can burn up to 500 calories per hour, but you probably won’t realize it because you’ll be having so much fun!
But calorie burn isn’t the only thing that makes ballroom dancing a great form of exercise. When dancing with a partner your entire body is engaged. You will use not only the large powerful muscles that move you through life, but many of the smaller accessory muscles that are not challenged by normal daily activities. Your core, back, and shoulders must act together to maintain good posture and a toned frame so that you can have a good connection with your partner. Your legs and hips must propel you not only forward and backward, but also side-to-side and up-and-down. And because dancing is low impact, it tones your muscles and improves your coordination without stressing your joints.
So, is ballroom dancing really exercise? Yes! And a darned good one at that.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2034191/
http://time.com/4828793/dancing-dance-aerobic-exercise/
https://www.fitness.com/articles/113/dance_your_way_to_good_health.php
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/health/health-benefits-of-dancing/index.html
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/fitness/active-lifestyle/article/many-health-benefits-dancing