10 reasons dancing is the
best workout you can get

She’s our resident dancing queen…

…who when she’s not busy leading one of her classes, is often off on tour with a major stage production.

Danielle lives for dance, and loves sharing her passion with our Be Well members.

Here are her 10 reasons why she believes dancing is the best way to workout…

Anyone can do it anywhere

I love leading my dance classes, and I hope after reading this blog you might want to come and try one.

That said, my first argument for dance being the best form of exercise is that you don’t have to be at a gym or studio, and you don’t need any equipment. Anyone can do it, and you can do it anywhere.

You could play a song in your kitchen and do a bit of a dance there. You could be like Martha and the Vandellas (or, if you prefer, Bowie and Jagger) and go dancing in the street! You can even do it seated or sat on the floor.

I’ve had class members in wheelchairs, and class members who are blind. Wherever you are, and whatever your ability, you can dance.

Dance is also a nice introduction to fitness for those who do fancy visiting a leisure centre. Because if you’re someone who’s never been to a gym before, or never lifted weight, then that first time can be quite daunting (although I have to say here that our Be Well gym staff are really friendly and amazing!)

But lots of people who come to my classes don’t want to be on the gym floor. They want a workout, but they want it to be social and they want to have fun… and that’s exactly what they get.

Danielle leading a dance class in a studio

It’s cardio made fun

One of the main things I hear from people in my classes is ‘you don’t realise you’re exercising because it’s fun’.

Now, group ex classes like BodyPump, Fast 30, HIIT, Hatton Boxing etc. are brilliant and incredibly effective. They push your limits and they make you feel great afterwards.

But fun? I’m not sure many of us would say that! Likewise, hitting the treadmill or cross trainer.

Like all of the above, dancing gets your heart and lungs pumping, and helps you get a sweat on. But you’re never looking at the clock or wishing it was over.

That’s not because it’s easy. My classes will tell you it can get a bit spicy and you’ll really feel those muscles working. But there’s always a feel-good energy and lots of giggling and smiling… whereas you wouldn’t necessarily be smiling at BodyPump!

It’s for all the family

As people like Joe Wicks prove, the key to getting kids active is making it fun… and dance is perfect for that. But what I really love about our Family Dance classes is it gives the chance for kids, mums, dads, grandparents, aunties and uncles to exercise together.

Take your child to a regular dance class and you might be waiting in the car until it’s over… but not with Be Well. Oh no! With us, everyone can get involved.

And you know what? Don’t tell ’em because it’ll give ’em big heads, but… often it’s the dads that are the best, because they bring all their old moves out of the cupboard!

You’ll see mums really come out of their shell, and grandmas who one minute are saying “I can’t do that!” suddenly rolling back the years.

We always mix things up and do a lot of fun games so sometimes kids won’t even realise they’re dancing, and we give families ideas for exercises and games they can do at home.

It’s a wonderful way to spend time together, and it’s lovely seeing all the kids grow their self-esteem and lose their inhibitions.

Dance also teaches children creativity, imagination, play, discipline, coordination, how to listen to the instructor etc., which can be helpful when it comes to other areas of their life like school.

Danielle high fives a young girl at Family Dance class

Age is just a (dance) number

On the other end of the age spectrum, dance is great for improving strength and balance, coordination and agility in older adults.

Being able to move quickly from side to side, and moving quickly on different parts of the foot, is really good for preventing falls.

When we’re doing a dance like the cha-cha, we’re doing fast little steps. If you’re somebody who may potentially be vulnerable to fall, to be able to sort of cha-cha out of it is really useful.

In fact, some of the steps that we do in my classes, you’d also find in a falls prevention class.

I always think if you’ve got healthy ankles, healthy knees, healthy hips, and a healthy spine – all those core components – then you’re going to live a healthier life.

Core blimey!

Speaking of ‘core’, there’s a lot of core work involved in dance class – strengthening into that upper part of the back, into your core area, and improving your posture.

A dancer’s posture is one of the key things you’ll notice about them. Whereas, for a lot of people, it’s something we almost completely forget until it’s brought to our attention.

As soon as I mention the word ‘posture’ in one of my classes, you’ll everyone straighten up. It’s like they’ve got magnets on their shoulder blades that have just been switched on!

Lots of us have poor posture, not least those of us who spend too much time looking down at our devices or tied to our desks, and that can cause all sorts of problems for us.

Dance helps keep you become more aware of your posture, and helps improve it by strengthening those supporting muscles.

Sudoku with steps!

Dance doesn’t just work your body. It works your mind as well.

In fact, the science shows dance engages at least four different parts of the brain – rather than just two, like a lot of strength and cardio training.

Dance is linked to helping with your memory and your cognitive function, so it’s great for staying sharp as you get older.

It’s also been shown to help people with dementia (for my dissertation I actually did a study on memory and dance, looking at Flamenco participants living with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.)

Basically, it’s like you’re doing an exercise routine and a sudoku at the same time! It’s a holistic approach to movement.

You can’t go wrong

Like many group ex classes, dancing is great for getting your steps in and burning off those calories.

Unlike many classes, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing it ‘wrong’. In fact, it can actually be even better!

Find routines hard to follow? Well, here’s the silver lining… you’re probably doing MORE steps and burning MORE calories than if you’d done it right!

Gone right when everyone’s gone left? A quick dash the other way will put that right, and use a bit more energy too.

Whereas if you’re in like a BodyCombat class and not following the movements, I think you’d maybe feel more self-conscious, like you were failing or whatever.

With dancing, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about expressing yourself. Who’s to say you’re doing it ‘wrong’ anyway? Maybe you’re just an innovator rather than an imitator!

Danielle and a group of dancers strike a pose

It takes all shapes and sizes

Dance is most fun when you lose your self-awareness and go for it! And our dance classes are the perfect place to do that.

‘What? In a room full of strangers?’ you might ask. Yes! Because trust me… nobody is looking at you. Everyone’s far too busy concentrating on their own next steps to bother about anybody else.

One thing I also try to do in my classes is avoid mirrors. I find that it can put people off if they’re looking at themselves, so facing away from the mirror helps people stop worrying about how they look.

The fact is we’re all different, and dance moves can look completely different on one body compared to another. Even with professional dancers, the same movement can look completely different.

But you’re still doing the same movement, working the same muscles, and getting the same benefits.

It’s a skill for life

One of the cool things about a dance class, compared to say a circuit class or a Body Pump class, is you’re learning a skill you can use elsewhere.

You’re not going to go to a wedding or a party and start doing dumbbell reps, are you?! But you can break out those new steps you learned at dance class.

Lots of my class members will come back from holiday and say how one of the songs we usually dance to came on, so they were able to have fun dancing there.

Others tell me things like ‘I went straight home and taught my husband to do the salsa!’

So it’s really fun that you can take away what you’ve learned at class and use it in real life.

women at a dance class hold hands in pairs, in a line

There’s always more to learn

Once you’ve learned how to do a bicep curl, after that it’s just how many times you can do it and how heavy a weight you can lift.

But with dancing, there’s so many different styles and variations that there’ll always be more to learn.

Even if you’re a master of the merengue, how much do you know about ballet? Or salsa? Or ballroom?

In my classes I’ll do Latin dance, I’ll do some African style, I’ll do Greek style, I’ll do a bit of hip hop. We might do a bit of jazz or the Charleston one day.

Dance class is so versatile, which helps keep it fresh and rewarding as you learn more and more.

Each variety can also be adapted to different levels of ability, so you can keep it simple or go more complicated – either way, everyone is joining in and enjoying themselves.

The best form of therapy

Not only do I feel dance is the best form of exercise, in my personal opinion it’s the best form of therapy as well.

Anyone who knows me knows what I’m like. I’m generally a happy, positive person – and I think it’s because I’m dancing all the time, and I’m getting all those feel-good endorphins.

Dancing gives you complete escapism from the real world. You can come to a dance class, forget about what’s going on in your life for an hour and just focus on yourself, moving your body and feeling good.

Dancing doesn’t just loosen your body, it loosens your mind as well, and you walk out of the class feeling really good. Don’t take my word for it… come and find out for yourself!

I know dance is so beneficial for so many people, especially if you’ve got a bit of stress. I always say, if you’re feeling stressed or tense, do a shimmy.

Even if you’re at work, just try it. People might look at you a bit funny in the office, but just ignore them, keep shimmying and you’ll feel good. If you got any stress, shimmy it away!

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Danielle smiling while delivering a family dance class

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