Thursday, May 28, 2009

Let's Get Physical

We all saw it happen on this season's "Dancing With the Stars".

The injuries, the muscle strains, the broken bones ... the incredible physicality it takes to dance well. Many kinesiologists have declared dance as one of the very best types of physical fitness a person can do ... because of the muscle tone it builds, the often intense cardio, the flexibility that develops, and those joyful endorphins that release as soon as the music starts. Plus, it's damn fun!

I should tell you that I've never been a very "sporty" person. Sure, I like to go for a nice bike ride, rollerblade down a boardwalk, do pleasant hikes, yoga, etc. But as for intense, heart-pumping, massive sweating activities ...? Um, yeah, not my thing. Until I re-discovered dance.

In a matter of days, I started to notice a change in posture, more muscle strength, invigoration, and flexibility (check out the Shakira-esque moves in our routine). Salsa requires excellent timing, proper framing, and body awareness and confidence that makes you shake your bits. Kinda fun.

In the 12 weeks since I started salsa dancing I have rolled my ankle, stepped on my own feet, stepped on my dance partner's feet, gotten bruised arms from lifts, kicked my partner in the leg, gotten shinned in the head, elbowed my partner in the teeth, gotten so dizzy from spins that I had to sit down, gotten twisted into a pretzel when I was supposed to look graceful, and gotten overall muscle aches when the rehearsals were really intense.

Overall, I'm pretty damn proud of those "war wounds"! :)

As hard as it's been to wake up so early to go to those morning rehearsals, I'll admit I'm going to miss them. That quiet studio that we had all to ourselves ... and the sweaty invigorated self who walked out of there every time with a big smile. Will I stop salsa dancing after the June 6th performance? Not a chance!!

1 comment:

  1. Any form of dancing in which you move vigorously for at least 20 minutes at a stretch is aerobic. The controlled forms, such as ballroom, rock and roll, and Latin, Salsa, will also improve muscle tone, balance, co-ordination and reaction time.Classes or clubs provide opportunities not only for getting fit but also for making friends. There is a splendid website that promotes salsa dance through its free online video lessons.

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