Video - Cardio Dance Workout from Dirty Dancing

This fast-paced cardio dance workout is based on the movie Dirty Dancing. It's a lot of fun, but for the un-coordinated like me it may be a bit challenging at first. Just follow along at your own pace a couple of times, and once you pick it up you can really get into it - when you get to do the whole routine at the end it's so much fun! This will really get you moving and get that heart rate up - and you'll feel pretty awesome when you can dance like Baby!  :-)

Check it out, and have fun!

Dirty Dancing "Yes" Workout
Dirty Dancing "Yes" Workout is a fat-burning, dance-inspired cardio exercise that uses official dance steps and music from the hit movie, Dirty Dancing. Sculpt a lean dancer's body and melt away the extra pounds as you learn to move like Baby and Joh...

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:
   

Get in Shape with Ballroom Dancing

Among other things, I’m a ballroom dancer. While I mostly do it for the fun and the social aspect, it can also be a great workout, and it’s one you may not have thought of!

I’m happy to see  how many people have gotten involved in the dance craze through watching “Dancing with the Stars” over the past few years. There’s just something about the music, the dances, the level of competition, and the sarcastic responses from the judges. But there is also something else to be noticed with the professional dancers – their bodies. Not one single professional dancer had an ounce of fat anywhere on their body. What you saw was lean, toned, and muscular abs, arms, and legs. You probably would never think that ballroom dancing can produce such a workout, but it’s actually one of the best physical fitness programs available.

Image via WikipediaBallroom dancing is much more than a slow dance around a moonlit dance floor. There are several types of dances involved with ballroom dancing, ones that involve twirls, kicks, twists, and bends. In fact, ballroom dancing gives you the opportunity to move your body in a way that you would otherwise never experience – not even in an aerobics class.

It’s no secret that most people looking to get fit or lose weight are intimidated by the gym. Not only are you surrounded by people with a better body than you, but often you find yourself having to wait for a machine or struggling to keep up in a class. Ballroom dancing is a great way of making exercise fun, and it’s an activity you can do together with your partner or spouse. Unfortunately, some people continue to live inactive lifestyles because they just can’t find a physical activity they like to do.

You may be surprised to learn that ballroom dancing can burn just as much fat and calories (if not more) than a session at the gym. Depending upon the style of dance, you can easily burn between 200 and 400 calories. For example, the foxtrot or the waltz provide an easy and gentle workout and will burn around 200 calories. This is comparable to a brisk walk in the park or thirty minutes on the elliptical (but a lot more fun). On the other hand, dances like the jive or paso doble can burn over 400 calories, which is comparable to an intense step aerobics class.

While walking on a treadmill or doing crunches are well-known exercises, they only work certain parts of your body – which leave you to workout longer in order to cover the rest. Ballroom dancing literally works every part of your body and every major muscle group. You are more likely to see results faster due to the challenge your body endures with dancing.

And if you don’t have a partner to take with you to dance class, don’t let that stop you from experiencing the glide around the dance floor. Many classes will pair you up once you arrive, and you may meet some great friends or something more! Most people who get into ballroom dancing have lots of fun, and are more likely to dance longer which extends the duration of their workout. So trade in your walking shoes for some dance shoes, and dance your way into better shape!

(You can also get a great, fun dance workout in your own home using videos — there are lots of good dance exercise videos out there now. You can find several at good prices on Amazon.com.)

Related articles on Ballroom Dancing:

• Unique Dance Fitness Studio Offers “Ballroom for the Rest of Us” Couples Dance Courses (prweb.com)
• Two left feet: six social media tips from the dance floor (heidi-miller.com)

Fun Salsa Dance Workout Video

One of my favorite workouts is….dancing!!

Salsa is a great one, as it is not only fun, fast, and sexy, but it’s become a very popular dance in nightclubs over the past few years, so you may even become the hit of the party when you break out some of these moves! (Note: If the video doesn’t show up, just click the link below.)

This free video gives you a quick and fun Salsa workout (for more fun exercise video recommendations, just visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/exercise.html):

Sizzling Salsa – Dance Off The Inches
Dance off the inches. Sizzling Salsa. Take the work out of your workouts and just dance. Getting fit doesn’t have to feel like work. Anyone can dance off the inches – we’ve made it easy. Just 10 moves are all you need to dance this sizzling routine -…