Video: Fun 30-Minute K-Pop Dance Workout

If you like K-Pop, and you're looking for a fun dance workout that will really get you sweating, check this one out! This 30-minute workout offers a medley of cardio dance moves to fun K-Pop songs. There aren't a lot of instructions after the warmup segment, so you will have to follow along with the video, but if you've got some coordination and you enjoy dancing, this is a great workout that will get you moving and burning calories! (Note: Oddly enough, it does have a couple of ads in it, but they all involve dancing as well, so you can keep going right through them.)

Fun Kpop Workout Routine!!
This is my personal workout routine, I decided to post it on youtube for others that want to stay fit and have fun at the same time! This workout includes st...

Dancing = Fun + Great Exercise!

Are you getting bored with your traditional workout?  Is going to the gym just too bothersome?  Well then why don’t you get your next great workout at the local dance hall?  Dancing is not only fun to do; it’s great exercise too!

Ballroom dance lesson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There’s nothing that gets your heart pumping like dancing.  You don’t have to be good; you just have to move around.  The simple act of moving your arms and legs around is enough to get you a great cardio workout. In fact, some recent studies have shown that ballroom dancing is almost as effective at working your heart as common workouts such as running.  It also doesn’t matter much what kind of dancing you’re doing, whether it’s ballroom, country line dancing, or even belly dancing.  You can even just dance around your living room to the radio (also a great way to work out with the kids!)

Dancing works all the different muscle groups.  Activities like jogging and swimming feature repetitive movements that work the same muscles over and over.  That’s why it’s easy to tell a runner from a swimmer, just by looking at what muscles on their body are developed.  Unless you do the same dance over and over, you’re going to be doing lots of various movements.  This allows you to work all your different muscle groups giving you a great total body workout you’ll be able to see in a mirror.  This is also a great motivation to take classes and try new styles of dance.

Sometimes workouts can be a bit boring, and boredom is actually one of the most common reasons for quitting an exercise program.  With dance, not only do you get to listen to music that is fun and entertaining, but dancing can also have the benefit of being a social event.  If you are there with a group, you can enjoy the conversation and excitement, and you’ll probably completely forget you’re working out!  Try getting a group of friends to go dancing once a week with you.  You can even use the fact that it’s a great workout as a selling point to convince them to join you.  (Just be careful - depending on the venue, you may be encouraged to drink.  Don’t burn off all your calories just to add them back with alcohol.) 

Young couple dancing cha-cha-cha at a junior Latin dance competition. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dancing can also make a great family activity.  You can use it as a time to bond with your spouse or your children.  Remember, they need to get regular exercise too!  If you want to have more special romantic time with your spouse, sign up for some lessons you can take together.  And while you can’t take kids out to a lot of dance clubs, you can get a kids dancing tape, teach them to dance at home, or just play around to the music on the radio.  It’s a great way to exercise while stimulating their creativity.  Some kids also really enjoy dance classes, and a lot of dance studios now offer classes for kids.

So what are you waiting for?  Why not change a boring workout this week into a fun dance event? Time2Dance.com has a large searchable directory of studios, classes, and dance events so you can find a venue near you and get started!

Fun Fitness Tip: Dance Your Way to Fitness

Dancing is once again a hot new fitness trend. While some people may only think of fitness focused dance classes as something similar to the Jazzercise and Jane Fonda aerobics classes of the 1980s, the truth is that the range of offerings now is quite surprising, and has taken on a much more exciting flavor.

Maria Moline, instructor, coaches her Zumba class through the dance choreography in the Patch Fitness Center in U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)In fact, there are enough different styles of dance and music to suit just about every taste. Some of the most popular dance fitness styles include Zumba (which uses freestyle movements to salsa and merengue music), SoulSweat (based on Soul music), Cardio Funk (using Funk music) and even Bollywood (using the high tempo music that’s found in Indian “Bollywood” movies). You can even find more typically "specialized" styles of dancing, such as ballroom, and belly dance, to be excellent forms of exercise. If there’s a style of music that you hear on the radio that makes you want to get up and move to the beat, then chances are there’s a fitness class built around it.

There are many different benefits of dancing for fitness. You’ll get the aerobic and muscle strengthening benefits, of course. But dance fitness classes can also be a lot of fun. Keep in mind that many people who begin a new exercise program will end up giving up on their fitness goals because they get bored with treadmills and weightlifting machines. That isn’t likely to happen with a dance class. Going to a dance class will also get you socializing with the other class members, which can make it much easier to motivate yourself for each future class.

But don’t be fooled, fitness dance classes are a seriously good workout. The movements may not involve any weights or balls or steps, but they can be extremely challenging. Fitness dancing often requires participants to move in ways that they’re not used to; side to side or diagonally, perhaps, while moving their arms in different ways at the same time. There’s a good chance that you’ll be a little sore (but in a good way) after your first class!

Andrea Knight, Zumba instructor, leads her class through 'salty Latin moves' while helping them maintain good fitness. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Getting started with a dance fitness class is easy enough. It’s likely that a local health club or community center offers at least one type of these classes. Call the facilities in your area to find out the various options that fit within your schedule. Dance fitness classes are even becoming so popular that fitness studios focusing on these types of classes are popping up all over the country.

Even though these classes almost always provide a positive and supportive environment, some people prefer to do their exercising at home on their own. It’s certainly possible to do any of the dance fitness routines at home. The easiest and least expensive way to begin, or to see what style is best for you, is to go online and do a search on YouTube. You’ll find numerous videos of the dance moves, and even some choreographed classes that you can follow along with.

Once you’re more serious about working out with dance, you can rent or buy professionally made DVDs for quite cheaply - often about the cost of a quick dinner for one. Your local library may also have dance workout DVDs for you to check out and use at home, which gives you a chance to try out a DVD and see if you like the instructor's style and pace before you buy it.

However you choose to begin, start slow and give yourself a little time to learn the moves. Once you do, you’ll probably be hooked!

A Few Of Our Favorite Dance Workouts: