Shake Your Booty, Have Fun and Get Into Shape

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had the right idea. If you want to stay fit and have fun while doing so, then dance.

“Recreational dancing is a great form of exercise that never goes out of style and can be used in just about any social setting,” says Matthew Brayshaw, who teaches ballroom and country and Western dancing at Londance Studio in Santa Ana.

In addition to being fun and a great way to meet new friends, dancing has a variety of benefits, including its ability to improve coordination, straighten posture and even increase self-confidence. “I’ve seen many shy people really come out of their shells after learning how to dance,” says Brayshaw.

Many people now consider dancing a fun way to stay fit, says Kristine Robbin, country and Western dance instructor for the Crazy Horse Steak House and Saloon in Santa Ana. “Dancing is especially good for people who have a hard time motivating themselves to follow an exercise regimen.”

Dancing can also be a relaxing change of pace. Linda Hagood, a psychotherapist who lives in Orange County and works for a Los Angeles hospital, regularly recommends that her patients dance as a way to escape life’s daily pressures. She takes her own advice, ballroom dancing about twice a week.

“I have a 110-mile commute that takes three to four hours each day,” she says. “Dancing is a great form of exercise that helps relieve stress. As you concentrate on where your feet are supposed to go, you forget about the daily grind. It’s also easy to fit dancing into my hectic schedule.”

There are many types of dancing that can become part of a fitness program. Each offers the opportunity for a particular type of workout.

*Hip-hop. Just listen to the up-tempo music for this funky brand of street dancing and you can tell it provides a really good workout, says Christina Sullivan, director and choreographer for the Jam Crew, a professional hip-hop dance company based in Newport Beach. “Hip-hop is a very intense type of dancing that elevates your heart rate very quickly,” she says.

Because hip-hop can be complicated, Sullivan suggests taking a funk or hip-hop aerobics class to learn some of the basic moves before hopping onto the dance floor.

*Country and Western. There are two main types of country dancing, the two-step and line dances. Considered the traditional country dance, the two-step is performed with a partner and gives you a good upper and lower body workout, says Robbin.

Line dancing is also popular. The tush push and electric slide are two routines that appeal to a variety of people because they can be done to rock, country rock or up-tempo country. This dancing is done in lines, and you generally don’t need a partner, which means you don’t get much of an upper body workout, says Robbin.

Many clubs offer complimentary classes in the early evening before the band starts twanging.

*Ballroom dancing. There are two main categories of ballroom dancing, one of which includes smooth dances like the fox-trot, waltz, and tango. “Although these use a slower, flowing music and seem mellow, they require that you have great control over your body and can give you a really good workout,” says Brayshaw.

There are also ballroom rhythm dances such as the popular East and West coast swings and Latin dances such as the mambo, cha-cha, lambada and salsa. These dances can be done to many different kinds of music to give as strong a workout as desired.

*Square dancing. This vigorous form of exercise is great for cardiovascular conditioning and is even recommended to heart patients by many doctors, says Don Stewart, a square dance caller and instructor based in La Habra. “The dances last from two to 2 1/2 hours, and you get a really good workout,” he says.

There are square dancing clubs in just about every city--Southern California alone has 150, according to Stewart. To get the most out of square dancing, Stewart suggests getting lessons, which you’ll find offered at square dance clubs. Some clubs now offer baby-sitting service.

*Free-style. If learning dance steps doesn’t appeal to you, then letting your limbs loose with free-style is probably the answer. The good thing about this type of dancing is that you can do it to just about any kind of music.

“Free-style dancing can be a great way to get an aerobic workout,” says Sullivan. “Just don’t stay rooted to one spot on the dance floor. Put your whole body into it and let yourself go, making the movements really exaggerated.”

As a form of exercise, you get out of dancing what you put into it. Here are some ways to make the most out of your time on the dance floor:

*Watch the clock. If burning fat is one of your objectives, Sullivan says to dance as much as possible. Try dancing for at least 20 minutes at a stretch once or twice throughout the evening. If you get tired, take a break, but make it brief so that your heart rate remains elevated.

Initially, check your heart rate right after dancing so that you learn at what level you must dance in order to burn fat, says Sullivan. This can easily be done by placing your fingers on your wrist and counting the beats for 10 seconds. Multiply this figure by six, which gives you your exercise heart rate. It should be no more than 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate, which can be determined by subtracting your age from 220.

*Be consistent. To get the most fitness out of recreational dancing, it’s important to get on the dance floor on a regular basis. “Dance at least a couple times a week and three if possible,” says Stewart.

If you do other exercise, dancing can be used to augment your fitness schedule, and you may not need to dance as often.

*Warm up and cool down. “To prevent straining muscles, get the blood flowing by starting with slow songs,” says Robbin. In the same respect, remember to cool down before resting. Never immediately sit down after vigorous dancing.

*Drink water. Rather than drinking alcohol, which will dehydrate you and eventually deplete your energy, drink a lot of water, especially if you’re sweating a lot.

*Dress appropriately. Your clothing affects your comfort on the dance floor. “Wear something that is fairly loose and not too constrictive,” says Robbin, who also suggests layering clothes so that you can avoid overheating by shedding pieces as you warm up. This also gives you clothes to put back on once you finish dancing and have cooled off.

Shoes should provide a lot of support and have a leather sole, which enables you to turn easily. Boots and low-heeled shoes with an instep strap are good choices, as well as some hi-top aerobic/streetwear shoes. Stay away from high heels and sandals, because the former provide no support and can throw you off balance, and the latter put your toes at risk of being stepped on.