Statistics of Health relating to Ballroom Dancing

Here are some resources that I pulled together to prove that ballroom is a way to stay physically fit and a way to keep you healthy both as a youth and as an adult.


*Dancing can help:
strengthen bones and muscles without hurting your joints
tone your entire body
improve your posture and balance, which can prevent falls
increase your stamina and flexibility
reduce stress and tension
build confidence
provide opportunities to meet people, and
ward off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression.
http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/get_motivated/lets_dance_to_health.html


*Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City studied 469 people over age 75 and found that ballroom dancing was associated with a lowered risk of dementia.
*Moderate ballroom dance burns between 250 - 300 calories per hour, and vigorous dancing can burn as many as 400 calories per hour.
http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Fitness/5-05-27DancingElderly.htm


*Dancing works muscles in different parts of the body and sharpens balance and coordination. Memorizing steps, kicks and twirls also flexes the mind.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13998742/


How does ballroom dancing help the brain?
It:
*Increases blood flow to the brain from the physical exercise
*Depression, and loneliness from dancing's social aspect
*Mental challenges (memorizing steps, working with your partner)


"Dance, in many ways, is a complex activity. It's not just purely physical," says Verghese.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160965,00.html

*Ballroom Dancing specifically helps to:
Conditions the body
Helps keep the heart in shape
Builds and increases stamina
Develops the circulatory system
Strengthens and tones legs and body
Increases flexibility and balance
Helps with weight loss
Relieves stress
Increase energy
Improve strength
Increase muscle tone and coordination
Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
Decrease blood pressure
Help you manage your weight
Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/11/02/the_health_benefits_of_dancing_--_including_specific_benefits_of_different_dances.htm

Dance Quotes

"The dance floor is the only place on this planet where the lady is basically telling you 'Make me do what you want me to do'. I know you don't get that at home "~ Author unknown

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass …..
Its learning how to Dance in the rain!" :)
--anon--

"The forms of tango are like the stages of marriage. The American tango is like the beginning of a love affair, when you're both very romantic and on your best behavior. The Argentine tango is when you're in the heat of things and all kinds of emotions are flying: passion, anger, humor. The International tango is like the end of the marriage, when you're staying together for the sake of the children" ~ by Barbara Garvey, Smithsonian Magazine

"Dance is like the dance of LIFE. The whole idea is that if you're on the sidelines, you really don't join in the sort of SPIRIT of life, the PASSION of life. If you decide to take part in the dance, even if you can't dance very well, if you have two left feet, at least you're trying to be part of the DANCE. And that, I think, is a beautiful thing." ~ Randall Miller, Writer & Director

"To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before." --Rollo May--

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will have truly defeated age." ~ Sophia Loren, actress

"Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they're great because of their passion." ~ Martha Graham

"Dancers are the athletes of God." ~ Albert Einstein