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By Elizabeth Midamba
Do you tap along to any beat especially when seated in a noisy ‘matatu’ going somewhere or watching your favourite commercial on television? Dance and health has been subject of a number of research studies, which show dance to be a very healthy exercise.
Dancing is one of the ways, which can really brighten people’s monotonous lives. People now lead a life under constant work pressure and tensions from family, friends and the world.
Top five health benefits of dance
Sense of wellbeing: Dancing is a social activity and we get to meet and interact with many people when we attend the dancing classes. Meeting and socialising with other people contribute to a high level of self-esteem, builds our social skills and gives us a positive outlook.
Flexibility: Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dancing requires a great amount of flexibility. The greater the range of motion, the more muscles can flex and extend. Most forms of dance require dancers to perform moves that require bending and stretching, so dancers naturally become more flexible by simply dancing.
Strength: Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a dancer’s own body weight. Many styles of dance require jumping and limping high into the air.
Endurance: Dance is a physical exercise and exercise increases endurance. Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially vigorous dancing such as line and ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate can increase stamina. Just as in any form of exercise, regular dancing will build endurance.
Stress free: Dance relieves us from stress and can help one reveal his inner problems and anxiety. It is considered that through dance sessions you can overcome the stress accumulated in your body. All the hostility, anger and depression are released through the dance movements on music.
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