The music starts and before you know it you’re swinging your hips with a big smile on your face. Forget grueling training techniques and exhausting exercise, dance fitness is one of the best ways to burn off around 500 calories an hour while feeling full of joie de vivre. There’s something about dance, no matter how adept you are, that leaves all of us quite simply feeling happier!

Dance is such an innately natural part of being human that it impacts our simple sense of pleasure, wellbeing and happiness. Whether you’re spinning on the spot in your kitchen, doing the moonwalk while out shopping, or taking part in a dance fitness class, most people are stepping through life with a sense of movement and rhythm. But did you know that a dedicated dance fitness class could put the spring back into your step in more ways than one?

Anecdotal evidence!

Try this experiment. Put on your favorite tune and start to move your body. How do you feel? Well, depending on where you are, you might feel a tad embarrassed or self-conscious. What you will undoubtedly feel too is lighter, energized, positive and somewhat happier in terms of experiencing a sunnier outlook and disposition. You don’t need to be a scientist to realize that feel-good music and movement makes you feel, well, it makes you feel good!

Music lifts your mood!

Have you ever felt blue and put on a sad song just to express how you feel and perhaps wallow in the mire a little? Of course you have. Well, music and emotions can work both ways. Put on some upbeat sounds with the intention of making yourself feel happier and you will. That’s according to a recent University of Missouri study which concluded that upbeat music can lead to improved health too. Dance fitness classes are designed to get your body twitching to move so the music is attention grabbing and makes you feel like dancing. Add a positive mindset and you’re creating a happy soundtrack to your life.

Dance therapy!

Dance is about connectivity and expression, so it’s not surprising that it’s a form of psychotherapeutic movement. Being able to get in touch with your feelings and sense of self, as well as have an outlet for conscious and subconscious emotions is a healthy way to take care of yourself in an holistic sense of wellbeing. Dance fitness classes can also give you this freedom of feeling, leaving you centered and connected on an inner level.

Ancestral dancers benefitted!

Being coordinated and having rhythm might have been a way for our ancestors not only to bond and get together but to give them a better chance of survival. An Israeli study identified genetic differences in areas which affect social communication and feelings of spirituality.

Dance beats stress!

Dance may not only make you feel good but banish the blues and diminish mood disorders. The University of New England in New South Wales and the Australian National University in Canberra carried out a study with 41 participants suffering from anxiety, stress and depression. Of these, 20 were given dance lessons and 21 put on a waiting list. After just  two weeks the dancers experienced improvements in mood. After a month they also reported feeling more content or satisfied with life and sleeping better too.

What better motivation to come and join a dance fitness class? We can show you the right moves to a fitter, healthier and happier you!