Recent health studies are showing that it is never too late to bust a groove and get your dance on! Besides impressing your peers with your tango numbers, the health benefits one can receive from dancing are vast and plentiful for senior activity. Here are just a few of the ways lacing up the tap shoes and letting the hips swing on the dance floor can help improve your overall quality of life.
Boosting your brain
On the surface, dancing seems like more of a physical exercise than testing the limits of your brain. However, when you start to think about all of the strategy and muscle coordination that goes into performing illustrious dance moves, it is easy to see how the brain is flexing just as much as your limbs while gyrating. Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City examined how a little tango or foxtrot can help improve cognitive activity, testing subjects who were aged 75 or older over a duration of 21 years. The colleagues looked to monitor levels of dementia by providing the participants with a series of brain stimulating activities such as playing cards, reading books and crossword puzzles while also implementing a few physical exercises as well, such as dancing, swimming and playing golf.
While a few of the mental tasks, such as reading and performing crossword puzzles, were able to reduce dementia rates, the only physical activity that proved to provide protection against mental diseases as well as boost cognitive skills was dancing. Participating in dance exercises a few times a week helped decrease the likelihood of dementia occurring by 76 percent. Playing a round of golf, going for a bike ride or swimming laps around the pool had no impact on reducing mental illness in study results.
Enhancing balance
Dancing is more than just flailing your arms and legs around while trying to capture the essence of rhythm. Top-notch balance is essential to provide a seemingly effortless vibe, and learning to dance can help stabilize your equilibrium and improve your overall quality of life. Researchers from the University of Missouri have used dancing as a therapeutic tool to aid in increasing balance and gait ability.
Seniors were placed in 18 dance sessions throughout a two-month period for the study, which mainly emphasized practicing low-impact dance steps that were choreographed to music. After the study was over, the majority of seniors reported an improvement in functionality and balance, two key factors that can decrease the likelihood of falling, and the participants also expressed great interest in continuing the sessions.
Jean Krampe, a student at the Sinclair School of Nursing program in the University of Missouri and lead-contributor to the program, was pleased to see the overwhelming approval expressed by seniors who were enrolled in the dance practices.
“We found that many seniors are eager to participate and continue to come back after attending sessions because they really enjoy it,” Krampe said in a statement. “Among seniors that stand up and move during sessions, we found that dance therapy can increase their walking speed and balance, which are two major risk factors for falling.”
Find your groove
Besides balance and memory, dancing provides a vast variety of health benefits that are essential for senior activity. Advantages can include:
- Increased flexibility and stamina
- Stronger bones and muscles
- Stress relief
- Better engagement in social activities
- Improved cardiovascular blood flow
Most towns have dance classes that can help get any amateur spinning and twirling in no time. Make sure to consult with your clinician before engaging in any salsa or electric slides!
