Hayley Newton shares her dancing tips for getting in shape
Dancing is a fantastic way to get fit and have fun
All forms of dancing are fantastic for your health, body and mood. Whether you’re dancing whilst doing the housework, in a class or at a club, the benefits on your health are endless.
Some advantages are that it’s good for your heart, helps to improve balance and joint stability, helps prevent osteoporosis and, luckily for us, it also burns lots of calories.
Being a choreographer, I'm all for it.
The students at the Italia Conti Arts Centre (@italiacontiac) have been privy to this lately as I have been helping to choreograph their latest production ‘The Workshop.’ This has involved lots and lots of dancing; however, it hasn't stopped us from doing fitness classes on top of their lessons as it is important to include a variety of exercises in order to truly tone up.
There is a huge amount of pressure on "dancers"! I mean just being called a "dancer" immediately brings your attention to the thought of someone fit, toned and supple.
Well unfortunately, not everyone is born this way.
You don't just pop out of the womb with a six pack and your leg wrapped around your leg... NO... You train for it. This is where, for those looking to become professional dancers, the Italia Conti Arts Centre comes in. They take students aged between 16-25 who are willing to put their minds and body through agony to get to the top of their profession.
Show business!
Everyday they are working their butts off to look and be like the next Madonna and more...
A recent survey by Nike said, more than 333,000 girls and women have been inspired by famous stars moves (think Madonna in 'Confessions on a Dance Floor'). So it's not just my students who are inspired by famous people. You could be to!
Now you don’t have to just go to a gym or community centre for this. I used to go to a Salsa club every Monday evening. Sometimes with friends and sometimes just on my own. Salsa means ‘sauce’ and it certainly can be a saucy way to work up a sweat and meet others interested in dance — in its original form, salsa is a courtship dance. It’s also highly energetic, with fluid, circular patterns of movement and lots of hip swaying and spinning around. You can be dancing for a few hours with different people and not realise. On a cardiovascular level it works extremely well. It’s great for weight loss and is also non-load bearing so as you aren’t jumping up and down or doing step exercise so there’s no pressure on your joints.
The aerobic benefits don't stop there, though. By using salsa dance, you can also decrease blood pressure, lower your chances of having heart disease and get your body into better shape. For me this form of dance helps teach you the steps you need to know to put a little life back into your exercise routine. Who knows… you might even find romance on your regular weekly keep fit session. I'm thrilled that my boyfriend is very keen to start learning some moves, so you might just meet me in there ;)
Tagged in exercise Dance fitness tips Workout Hayley Newton