Dance Your Way Through Life: The Top 5 Mental Health Benefits of Dancing
It starts with a simple beat, you hear the drum, the pulse of the music. You start to feel your toes tap, or maybe you are drumming your fingers on something.
Don’t stop it, let yourself go and enjoy the music. You may not know it, but there are both mental and physical health benefits of dancing.
Curious what dancing can do for you? Well, keep reading! We have 5 reasons for why you should get off the couch and start moving to the beat.
1. Improve Your Mental Health
Dancing can improve your mental state by giving you confidence in your body. As you move, you develop more positive thoughts about yourself and body.
You also build confidence in yourself and the way you move. This has proved to be especially effective in teenage females who notoriously struggle with body confidence issues.
2. Improve Your Memory
As we age, cognitive function declines. Take a line dancing class to help keep your brain function strong.
Line dancing requires you remember multiple steps while being gentler on the cardio. This keeps the brain active by engaging in an activity with an active recall.
3. Improve Balance and Coordination
When you commit to your dance your entire body will move. This means you need to move your feet, legs, body, and arms all at the same time.
By doing this, you improve your ability to coordinate the movements of your body. You also strengthen the muscles that keep you stable.
These are your core muscles about your middle. These muscles are key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
4. Cardio!
Social dancing is a great way to get some longer-term cardio in. You don’t have to head to a club for this.
Check out your local ballroom dancing school for their social night. They will often have events where you can go and meet new people and get your dance cardio on.
Regular cardio helps improve your immune system, build muscle, lower blood pressure, and cholesterol.
5. Escape for a Minute
Dancing gives you the opportunity to escape from reality for a bit. You put down the phone, walk away from the tv, leave your troubles at the door.
Instead, focus on the beat of the music. Feel it pulse through your body.
Let yourself start to naturally move however you feel. The rhythmic nature of the music and your movements create a sort of hypnotic trance.
This state results in your body releasing endorphins. Endorphins will boost your mood and mental clarity.
Health Benefits of Dancing
The health benefits of dancing are both mental and physical. Physically dancing raises your heart rate giving you a great cardio work out. The movements also help improve your balance and coordination.
Mentally, the movements cause your body to release endorphins. This boosts your mood, gives you a mental escape and improve your overall mental health.
Check out our blog for other great ideas on health and wellness.