As we grow older, staying active and keeping our minds sharp becomes more important. One fun way to achieve both is through dance!
Yes, you heard me right: dance!!!! Dance is an incredibly powerful tool – the health benefits are amazing, especially for older adults.
Let me explain why dance is a great tool you should use to stay vital and healthy!
Boosts Heart Health
Dancing gets your heart pumping! This makes your heart stronger and helps your body get better at using oxygen. Whether it’s a slow waltz or a quick jitterbug, dance improves your cardiovascular fitness, reduces the risk of heart disease, and makes you feel more energetic.
Improves Balance and Coordination
As we age, we can start to struggle with balance and coordination. Dancing involves lots of different movements that help improve these skills. Better balance means fewer falls and injuries, keeping you safer and more independent.
Enhances Brain Power
Dancing is like a workout for your brain. Learning dance steps and routines helps improve your memory, focus, and ability to make quick decisions. This mental workout keeps your mind sharp and reduces the risk of cognitive decline.
Lifts Your Mood
Dancing is a great way to lift your spirits. The music, movement, and social interaction all help to chase away loneliness and depression. When you dance, your body releases endorphins, which make you feel happier and more relaxed.
How to Get Started:
- Join a Dance Class! You can join in person or online! Sign up for one of our somatic movement classes tailored for older adults. You’ll have fun and meet new people while improving your health.
- Start Moving at Home by yourself: Even without a class, you can start dancing at home. Put on your favorite music and just move!
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get moving and make dancing a joyful part of your daily routine. Take control of your health, turn on some music and start moving and shaking today!
I can’t tell you how much I love to dance! Every benefit you mentioned is right! I like to dance at home in my living room. I love to go out dancing, too, but Covid shut down everything, and now, I don’t have anyone to dance with. 😅I’ll find someone!
Love hearing this Kate!!! I feel when we are children it is in our body and as we get older we feel more restricted when we dance. I hope you find a new dance community now that things are really starting to get back to the way they were pre pandemic. Happy to hop on a zoom and do a dance session!
Totally agree—dancing isn’t just fun, it’s like sneaky exercise that boosts your mood AND keeps you sharp. I might just have to turn my living room into a mini dance floor now. 😂 Thanks for the inspo—off to find my playlist!”
Yes! Sarah please do, that living room mini dance floor sounds perfect! And feel free to share your playlist I should do the same! It is always great learning what type of music really gets people going, and I love discovering new music that inspires me to move my body!!!!
Hello – This is such an important post as movement is not only healthy for the mind, the body but also the soul. I have often said out loud that I can’t dance. Then I had been reminded that I choose not to dance not that I can’t dance. Some people have limitations that prevent them from making a lot of physical movements, but there are other ways to supplement the art and pure joy of dance. I’d love to dance with my wife and truth be told, it is not uncommon for me to be found dancing by myself in my little home office what a good song comes on. The world may say that I can’t dance, and they’re probably right, but I choose to dance today!
Ernie, I will admit its hard but ignoring others beliefs about your dance ability and just going for it is truly where its at. My boyfriend is a professional dancer and I am often in situations where I have to dance in the middle of a circle of professional dancers, my heart is racing I feel awkward, and it is so scary. But then you do it, and people smile and appreciate the exchange of energy, your willingness to be vulnerable and share how the music makes you feel. And it is in those moments you realize the power of music and dance are all about joy, and when you let the judgement go its almost like going to church, you get this feeling of complete freedom. So I encourage you to dance, I am sure it brings a smile to many faces!