Live Ten Years Longer
Square Dancing will add ten years to your life a surprising
new study shows. Dr. Arron
Blackburn states "It's clear that square dancing
is the perfect exercise. It combines all positive
aspects of intense physical exercise with none of
the negative elements."
Dr. Blackburn said square dancing is a low impact
activity requiring constant movement and quick
directional changes that help keep the body in shape.
The study was based on their physical examination
which indicated that both female and male
square dancers could expect to live well into their
80's.
Square dance movements raise heart rates like many
good aerobic exercises should. All the quick
changes of direction loosen and tone up the muscles--but
not so severally as to cause injury. In
square dancing, when you're not moving, you're clapping
hands and tapping your feet, which all
contributes to long term fitness. "You don't see
a lot of 55 year old basketball players, but that's
just the age when square dancers are hitting their
peak", he said.
Why Square Dance?
Most dancers give the following reasons why they enjoy
active square dancing:
Family Fun
Friendly People
Good Exercise
Mental Stimulation
Social Contacts
Economical Entertainment
Good Wholesome Fun
Many Friendships Developed
Good Healthy exercise without physical exertion
Keeps the mind Active & Alert
Group Activity
America's Favorite Pastime, It's a Party...
Square dancing is a party time every time you do it.
Square dancing brings people together for
fun and fellowship - even when learning how. The
fun starts right on the very first night. You
meet new people and make new friends. And the fun
keeps right on going as long as you do -
most square dance groups meet twice a month. It's
a wonderful way to share common interest
with other people, and to escape the worry and pressures
of today's busy world.
It's The New Generation of Square Dancing....
Perhaps you think you know square dancing from your
school days. Well, think again, because
this is not the same. You will hardly recognize
Modern Western Square Dancing. There is new
music, from Golden Oldies to Elvis to current hits.
There are new dance steps, exciting new
patterns that keep changing, and unique calls to
learn. No more rough dancing in a barn. Modern
Western Square Dancing happens in church halls,
school halls, dance halls, resorts and cruise
ships. Square dancers travel to new places all over
the world. Even people who don't speak
English square dance! You will find square dance
clubs within most countries of the world
including Japan, Sweden and Germany – they dance
in English, but they don't speak it. Learn to
dance and a whole new world of opportunities for
fun and fellowship will open up for you.
It's About People From All Walks...
Square dancers are all kinds of folks sharing a love
of action and teamwork. Square dancers are
company presidents, secretaries, machinists, farmers,
corporals, colonels, doctors, whatever you
think of. When square dancers get together they
talk about square dancing. No one knows who's
the corporal and who is the farmer. What they want
to know about you is can you really dance.
That is what matters.
Social Dancing....
Dancing contains a social component that solitary fitness
endeavor don't. It gives you an
opportunity to develop strong social ties, which
contribute to self-esteem and a positive outlook.
Tomorrow night when you consider settling down for
a little television, turn on the music instead.
After a few spins around the living room, you'll
have so much fun you may forget you're
exercising. Jazz up your fitness routine with a
regular dose of dancing! The stationary bike can be
boring. The rowing machine and treadmill at the
YMCA can hold little appeal. Exercise doesn't
have to be a chore. It's true. Whether you're swirling
across the dance floor to a Strauss Waltz or
doing allemande lefts to the commands of a square
dance caller, you're getting exercise, and probably
having fun too. Dancing pairs you up with more than
a partner.
Square dancing offers these health benefits:
Calories:
Dancing can burn as many calories as walking, swimming
or riding a bicycle. During a half-hour
of dancing you can burn between 200 and 400 calories.
One factor that determines how many
calories you'll expend is the distance you travel.
In one study, researchers attached pedometers to
square dancers and found that each person covered
five miles in a single evening.
Cardiovascular Conditioning:
Regular exercise can lead to a slower heart rate, lower
blood pressure and improved cholesterol
profile. Experts typically recommend 30 - 40 minutes
of continuous activity three or four times a
week. Dancing my not provide all the conditioning
you need, but it can help. The degree of
cardiovascular conditioning depends on how vigorously
you dance, how long you dance
continuously, and how regularly you do it.
Strong Bones:
The side to side movements of many dances strengthens
your weight bearing bones (tibia, fibula
and femur) and can help prevent or slow the loss
of bone masses (osteoporosis).
Rehabilitation:
If you're recovering from heart or knee surgery, movement
may be a part of your rehabilitation.
Dancing is a positive alternative to aerobic dancing
or jogging.
So You Are Interested In Square Dancing.
How Can You Get Started?
How Can You Get More Information?
Special thanks to Central Puget
Sound Square Dance Council and Woodinville Toe Stompers Square Dance Site for
sharing the above information page.
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