Study Finds That Dancing Helps With Weight Loss and Also Improves Physical and Mental Health

Dance Burn Calories, Improvise Other Indicators of Health

Photo: RADKOL/Depositphotos

Staying healthy is important, no matter your size, weight, or age. There are lots of important factors: drinking enough water, wearing sunscreen, and eating green veggies are all part of the equation. Exercise is important for everyone as well. For people who are overweight and obese and seeking to lose weight, a new paper suggests that dance is incredibly effective in burning fat and helps improve heart health, mental health, and other indicators of wellness.

A metastudy of the results of 646 previously reported studies examined the effects of dance. These studies focused on individuals who are overweight or obese, or had abnormally high fat percentages, as defined medically. All studies involved dance regimes of at least four weeks in length. The results of the metasudy suggest dance is extremely effective for burning fat and reducing waist circumference. Unlike certain other aerobic exercises, dance is full body. This allows participants to keep dancing longer than they might keep lifting or climbing a stairmaster.

Another thing to keep once dancing is the social element. Whether line or square, ballroom or mosh pit, dancing is typically done with others and for pure fun. This draws individuals to the exercise when contrasted with more solitary activities. “Dance is effective on fat loss in people overweight and obese and has a significant improvement on body composition and morphology,” says Zhang Yaya, a Ph.D. student at Hunan University in China. “As a form of physical activity that integrates exercise, entertainment, and sociality, dance possesses innate advantages in fostering motivation for exercise.” This last bit is true for everyone, no matter one's weight. Dancing can help boost one’s mood, lower blood pressure, keep the heart healthy, and reduce hypertension—all of which promote general health. So, it may be time for all to hit the dance floor.

Dancing is a great way to keep healthy, especially for those who are overweight as it burns calories, boosts mental health, and lowers blood pressure.

Dance Burn Calories, Improvise Other Indicators of Health

Photo: RACORN/Depositphotos

h/t: [Good News Network]

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Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
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