When you spend most of your time sitting in the classroom and listening to the lectures from morning till evening. And the little time that is left from those 24 hours is spent in the mess hall, and in the library completing the projects and making presentations and somehow getting sleep of not more than 5 hours. Then you definitely need to do something about it.

Being a student in a B-school, my routine usually involved sitting, eating and sleeping. There wasn’t any physical work involved. Within a few months, I would see fat breaking out from every part of my body. I will be so bloated and would look so much like a balloon. It was a freaking nightmare I used to have consecutively

MISSION: CHOOSING A FUN ACTIVITY TO STAY FIT

So I thought to include something I would love to do. And I came up with, dancing. I used to love dancing. Whether it’s a college fest or someone’s wedding or just a party at the pub, I would always be the first one to run towards the dance floor. It never felt like I was working out. Dancing felt more like an activity to have fun with music and release all your stress. It was like a party where you sweat out like anything while dancing, but still, you won’t stop. Dancing changes the whole idea of workout and therefore encourages us to come back again. It is like a break from the stressful routine. It is rejuvenating and makes me feel good from the inside.

 

 

WHAT IS DANCE AEROBICS?

Dance aerobics is any form of dancing like Zumba, Jazz, hip-hop, etc involved with some of the simple aerobic exercises like walking and jogging in a rhythmic way. They have both fast and slow rhythms so that we can do it for a longer time. And the steps are simple yet heart pumping. They are low impact and therefore they are great options for obese, pregnant and elderly. All you need to do is put on the music, learn some basic steps and follow along with the beats and put your major muscles at work. It is probably one of the most fun ways to reduce calories. You can do it alone or with your partner. If you are a mom then you can do it with your kids and spend some time together. Try not to force it on yourself rather enjoy it.

HOW TO START?

If you love dancing, then it’s gonna be pretty easy to start with. You can start it at home. Play a youtube video of simple aerobic dance fitness. They teach pretty well. They include interval training, resistance training and strength training. And usually have a warm-up time of 5-10 minutes, then a 30-40 minutes workout session and 5-10 minutes for cooling down. Just follow them step by step. Do it along with them and don’t forget to put your woofers a bit high pitched. Music is what makes you feel the beat and tap your feet. Also don’t forget to keep a bottle of water near, as keeping yourself hydrated is really necessary to replace the water you are sweating out. If you don’t like doing it alone then joining an aerobics dance class is a really good option. This not only allows you to have fun with other people but you also find a place to interact and socialize, thus making new friends of the same interests and goals. More people means more fun.

 

 

SOME OF THE BASIC AEROBICS DANCE MOVES YOU SHOULD KNOW

There are some of the basic dance moves that can be adjusted in any of the beats you play. Learn and memorize them. Even if you don’t have the choreography of the song, you can put these basic steps and carry on with your workout.

• March at a place and move your arms back and forth 

This is usually done to warm up and to increase your body temperature. It also helps to relax your body after an intense workout. So basically a workout starts with a march and ends with a march.

• Hip roll 

You might have done this move while dancing casually in a pub. You roll your hip in a circular motion creating an ‘O’. It will put your abdomen muscles at work and would increase flexibility. 

• Sidekick crunch and bicycle crunch

Sidekick crunch is like kicking someone at the side. It is usually done in a more rhythmic way, creating a really cool dance step. And we do the bicycle crunch in a standing position, where we meet the elbows with the keen of the opposite legs. It is so much easier than the one we do by lying down and less stressful. Its effect is the same as the bicycle crunch we do while lying down. It is the abs workout and will help you strengthen your abdomen and reduce abdomen fat.

• Squat

Try squats with some upper body movement to make it more engaging. This works for the thigh muscles and makes them strong and toned up.

• Jump

Jumps are really creative in aerobics. It helps to reduce a lot of calories. It comes under the high impact exercises like skipping.  

BENEFITS OF DANCING

A 30-40 minute everyday dancing can bring a lot of changes in our body. This fun activity has a lot of benefits like:

• Simply the easiest way to stay fit for people of all ages
• Helps in weight management.
• It helps to tone our muscles and increase strength.
• It helps to reduce stress.
• It improves our blood circulation and thus improves our heart and lungs.
• It even pumps more oxygen in our body thus releasing all the body impurities like carbon dioxide and lactic acid out of our system.

So if you wanna stay fit and have fun then, aerobic dancing is one of the best options. It includes both slow-paced and high-intensity workout, depending upon what your motives are. If you just wanna stay fit then you’re gonna love aerobic dancing with basic steps.