Any dance studios wanting to promote Ballroom dancing would say that Ballroom dance is a good way to keep fit. But little is said about the actual how-to technique.
Many people are tempted to join a Ballroom Dance class because the advertisement says it will help them lose weight. Therefore, it is not uncommon to hear some Ballroom Dance hobbyists complain that they never lose weight upon joining some Ballroom Dance class. Surprisingly, some even gain weight.
Common Reasons For Not Getting Ideal Fitness Results
Keeping fit and weight loss are just natural enticement to get people to do something, especially with a commercial intention behind. It is just rational for studios to use this as a marketing tactic to promote Ballroom Dancing.
Group classes only teach some steps or very simple routines, enough to get participants on the dance floor to show some moves. Nothing is really taught in terms of the usage of muscle or body control because these will sound too abstract to beginners.
Dancing and fitness are two separate disciplines initially. Dancing emphasizes artistic movements of the body according to music, whereas fitness is more about the direct exercising of the body. It takes a long time to enable a novice dancer to merge the two disciplines together to achieve bodily fit results.
Beginners only copy steps to start with. Dancing heavily with the feet will not work out the body much. The limbs are just extension of the body. There is no actual body workout yet.
Sometimes beginners are just too shy to make bold moves or body actions. Small movements don't work the body hard.
It is quite common for beginners to kid themselves that they've had a good workout after class. The reality is that they may be too busy learning steps and there is no real body workout yet. Then they go for a big meal after class.
How To Ballroom Dance More For Fitness
It is all right to copy some steps initially from the group classes. Otherwise it will be too boring to jump into technique right away. However, do understand that it is the body that does the dancing, not the feet. Try not to think about the feet if possible.
The 3-Dimensional concept of dancing: Dancing is slightly different from walking. The body has to move in all directions.
The art of stretching in dancing: It is more than just for warm-up and cool-down. Every time the arm is raised, try to stretch it out instead of just throwing the arm up. The joints will be more connected and the dancing becomes better.
Ballroom Latin dancing is a good way to work out the body. It emphasizes the various isolation of the body, i.e. the upper body, and the hips and connections of the joints.
Make use of some good dance workout videos in the market e.g. Core Rhythms. Instead of some simple dance routines in other DVDs, the Core Rhythms emphasizes less fancy dance routines but utilizes the Latin actions to workout the body. It emphasizes on the hip rolls, the abs etc.
Dance exercise at home. Just because the home is not as big as the studio is not an excuse not to exercise or practice at home. This article will give more details on how to practice at home.
Join a dance technique class if possible. Some studios may even offer discounts for taking two types of classes in one go. For the more affordable, take private lessons and specify a fitness goal apart from learning the dance.
Reasonable diet: Find the right food that will satisfy your hunger without being too full. It is different for every individual. There are just far too many schools of thoughts. Some say meat, some say fruits, and so on. Cut down on sugar.
Only Time And Patience Will Help Lose The Extra Pounds
Nobody can lose weight overnight. As in any fitness program, time is needed. However, given an understanding of how to make use of Ballroom Dancing to keep fit, just keep working out and practicing. It is ever a trial and error exercise.
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