Page 32 - LionKing

FEATURE
A new fitness hack!
By Funmilola Idowu
Bad news: most people dream of the ‘ideal’ body and long to be ‘fit’, however they shy away from fitness
routines because of the rigour and pains that come with such routines. Good news: there is a shortcut to fitness – DANCING, a whole-body workout that’s actually fun!
Studies report that a 30-minute dance class burns about 130 and 250 calo-
ries depending on the intensity, which
is about the same as jogging. With a wide range of dance-inspired workouts options, from ballroom and ballet to hip hop, Zumba, cabaret, jazzercise and club dance classes.
As you learn the choreography, you not only challenge your body but your brain as well while you try to coordinate differ- ent parts of your body at the same time whilst ensuring you are moving to the rhythm.
The benefits of dancing are not only lim- ited to physical advantages, it is a highly effective way of keeping the body and mind healthy. It has also been proven
to improves mood, lower stress and anx- iety; owing to the fact that abundant mood-improving chemicals are released within the body of the dancer. Here are some other benefits of dancing:
Improves flexibility and helps ease joint pain and post-exercise soreness
Boosts heart activity as dancing speeds up the heart rate, lowering the chances of cardiovascular diseases
Dancing requires a lot of fast movement and good posture, so frequent dancing will help you stabilize and gain better control of your body
Dancing may boost your memory and prevent you from developing dementia as you get older. It has been scientifically proven that aerobic exercises can reverse volume loss in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls memory. In late
32 | The Lion King | April - June 2019