Articles
5 Benefits of Moving Your Body to Music (aka Dancing)
Many people create New Year's Resolutions around this time of year to workout more, get in shape, eat better, and lose weight, yet so many struggle to actually do what they set out to year after year.
Why? Often, it is because they are choosing activities and foods they think they SHOULD choose versus choosing things because of the natural enJOYment they can bring.
What if this year your resolution was to make everything you do enJOYable instead of routinely doing things that are painful, unpleasant, or difficult to decipher?
What if you declared 2012 to be a year of activities and new beginnings that were both enjoyable AND beneficial to your health? There are so many amazing ways to get in shape, feel happier, and create vibrant health, yet we limit ourselves to slaving away at the gym or jogging even if we don’t like to do these things. Why not make 2012 the year that YOU define health for yourself?
I love to move my Body to Music and I have compiled a list of 5 health benefits that Dancing has on our Mind, Body and Soul!
These benefits can start with as little as 10 minutes of Moving Your Body to Music EVERY DAY!
Why not put on some music and dance in your bedroom or living room the next time you need a boost?
Why not join a class in your community and get out of your comfort zone and meet other people who love to move their bodies to music?
Check out Brookes classes at http://www.brookejillian.com or go to http://www.thegroovemethod.com to find other GROOVEmethod ™ classes in your area as we have classes all over the world where you get to
Why not DANCE your BODY into VIBRANT health in 2012?
5 Benefits of Moving Your Body to Music (Aka Dancing)
1. Disease Prevention
Dancing is amazing at keeping our bodies and minds youthful and vibrant. It slows the aging process immensely. It benefits our heart and lung capacity and our bodies, minds and spirits in MANY different ways. It is a great way to prevent and treat osteoporosis, a concern for many women, especially during post-menopause because of the decrease in estrogen that occurs in this stage. A decrease in our estrogen levels is what stops calcium from being absorbed into our bones. Activities such as dancing help to build bone density and also keep joints lubricated, which helps prevent arthritis.
Dancing increases our bodies circulation and helps oxygen get to various parts of the body. The benefit of this is that more calories are burned at a heightened rate and we improve our overall stamina (which is VERY beneficial for many things). New research has discovered that it is necessary to measure both good and bad cholesterol levels when determining our health. Dancing aids in lipid control, which raises our HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and lowers our LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Dancing is also great for diabetics because it aids in blood sugar control.
2. Well-Being and Stress Reduction.
Living organisms are distinguished from non-living entities because they move. People who are depressed are lethargic and don't move. People who are happy have energy and naturally want to move (Lipton, B. 2008, Biology of Beliefs). So, do people who are happy Dance, or are people happy because they Dance? Who knows! Either way, endorphins are released when we dance and have fun. This allows us to heal stress and depression which increases our immune system's efficiency. The harmony that our mind and body experiences because of this give us a sense of well-being.
3. Physical Strength, Agility and Balance.
Balancing may be easy in some positions, but balancing in the various positions involved in dancing can be more difficult. Dancers have mastered the ability to balance in a number of positions which decreases our chances of getting injured in our daily lives by strengthening our stabilizer muscles and our core. Our coordination and reflexes are also improved by dancing. It is a great way to keep our Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System efficient by improving the connection of our bodies to our minds.
Dancing increases our strength as it encourages and challenges us to master new movements. A non-traditional dance class such as a GROOVEmethod™ class which has simple movements and lets everybody dance in their own way, encourages participants to explore moving their bodies in new ways, which stimulates development as a result of new muscles having to work. Many participants comment that they are sore in places they didn’t even know they had muscles!
When we dance without “following the leader”, we start to explore moving in different directions, and in a community class such as a GROOVEmethod™ class we may even dodge around people and objects. GROOVEmethod™ classes
Flexibility is an essential part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount of flexibility as we often move our bodies in new ways that we wouldn’t in a traditional workout. Dance classes such as GROOVEmethod™ classes really emphasize the student's exploration of their full range of motion, which is the way our bodies were naturally designed to move. Many other workouts require that one performs the exercise in a specific way and doesn’t give the participant a chance to make the movements feel good in their body, which can encourage injuries and general dislike.
4. Creativity
When you dance in a class that encourages you to move your body in new ways, it is a chance for people to let go of their mind chatter and lose themselves in the moment, and most creative people will agree that creativity originates from being totally present and open to what's possible. When a facilitator is constantly inviting creativity into the class instead of telling the participant what they SHOULD be doing, it gives us choice, and with choice comes creativity.
5.Self Confidence.
Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook. Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people. Joining a dance class can increase self-confidence and build social skills, in addition to being highly entertaining. It creates a social life for us while affording us the opportunity to make new friends. Friends helps us grow, make us laugh, and support us as we learn.
So with all of these health benefits, what is holding YOU back from Dancing for the Health of it ™ in 2012?
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