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“Get into the habit of singing a tune. It will give you new life and fill you with joy. Get into the habit of dancing. It will displace depression and dispel hardship.” - Nachman of Breslov
Are you planning on getting a flat stomach or losing a few pounds?
You have to do some exercise as you shouldn't just lose weight by not eating. This can take a long time and be quite off-putting. However, some disciplines, such as dancing, are a good option for those who want to lose weight and tone muscle while having fun. There are plenty of dance instructors in the UK and taking dance classes London is becoming more popular.
So how can you lose weight through dancing?
This is what we’re going to have a look at in this article!
How to Lose Weight through Zumba
Have you heard of Zumba?
This is a goldmine for those who want to quickly lose weight and tone their belly and butt.
Why?
Put simply, Zumba works on almost every part of your body. Whereas squats and other workouts are a great way to get rid of belly fat, become leaner, and tone your leg muscles, dancing is far more fun!
Get to discover some of the best hip hop dance classes here.
Whether you’re trying to get rid of your tummy or get slimmer thighs, this type of dancing can help you doing as it combines sport and fun. You’ll lose weight without even realising.
There are usually around ten steps to a session. This will help you tone body and lose weight at the same time. Keep in mind that a session typically lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.
What better way to break a sweat and lose weight than Zumba?
Zumba is a good cardio workout and will help you to relax afterwards through stretching afterwards as this helps your limbs to recover and will also help to tone them.
Despite all the benefits of Zumba on your metabolism, it does require you to be in a good physical condition. This type of dancing is very dynamic and will have you moving a lot. Whether you do Zumba at yours or in a gym, you’ll need to be motivated and in good shape.
How Often Should You Dance to Lose Weight?
“The job of feet is walking, but their hobby is dancing.” - Amit Kalantri
Dancing is a great discipline that allows you to tone muscle and lose weight at the same time. However, you need to know how often you should dance so that you don’t burn out or do exercises that aren’t right for you.
You’ll need to think clearly about your objectives and why you’re dancing. These objectives may include:
- Slim your arms
- Get rid of saddlebags (cellulite and fat on the outer thigh)
- Get a toned bum
- Lose a few pounds
- Lose fat from your inner thigh
- Build muscle
- Burn fat
- Quickly losing weight through fat burning
- Etc.
As you’ll have understood, dancing is great for a number of fitness goals. These goals will affect how much you’ll dance, too. Whether it’s a session at home or a few sessions in a class, you’ll see! You’ll probably need at least 3 sessions per week if your plan is to lose a decent amount of weight.
Your schedule will also affect how much you can dance. You’ll have to schedule your sessions around your timetable and your goals. And that’s it; losing weight through sport is as simple as that!
Don’t think of dancing as a chore, make sure that it remains an enjoyable activity. It’s much easier to lose weight in a class that you enjoy.
Your motivation will play a huge role in this, too. If you want slimmer hips, it’s easier to get them through dancing if its something you want to do. Whether it’s Zumba, tango, ballet, or contemporary dance, each style has its benefits.
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How Many Calories Can You Burn through Dancing?
While it may seem obvious that dancing will help you lose weight, you can also work out how many calories you’ll burn while doing it.
Studies show that dancing burns around four times as many calories than you would at rest and when it comes to weight loss, salsa, jive, and tango are some of the best ways to do it.
So how many calories do you burn when you dance?
Don’t panic, we’re getting to that.
To lose weight, regularly training is recommended and dancing is one of the best disciplines for doing this.
For example, somebody who weighs around 9 and a half stone could lose around a quarter of a pound a month by dancing three times per week. Somebody who weighs around 11 stone would lose around a pound. In a year, you could lose a stone just by having fun.
If you’re wondering which type of dancing you should be doing in terms of your goals, here are a few averages for how many calories you’ll burn doing each style for an hour.
- Salsa: between 405 and 480
- Hip hop: between 370 and 610
- Zumba: between 350 and 650
- Country: between 290 and 420
- Pole dancing: between 250 and 350
- Swing: between 300 and 550
- Ballet: between 380 and 450
- Break dancing: between 400 and 650
- Samba: around 240
- Tango: around 240
- Jive: around 370
On average, slower dances will burn between 150 and 220 calories per hour whereas quicker dances will burn between 250 and 320 calories. Let’s not forget that you need to warm up, stretch, and cool down for each session.
You just have to learn how your body will react.
What Muscles Do You Use When You Dance?
Whether you’re toning or building muscle, dancing comes with a lot of advantages for your physique. However, you should know which muscles you’re working on.
Dancing can work on your upper body, something which a lot of other sports can ignore, as well as your back and stomach.
For example, breakdancing and hip hop are great disciplines for toning your shoulders and arms. The same goes for Argentine tango. Of course, it’s still the lower body that works the hardest usually when you dance. Your bum, thighs, quads, and calves will all be required when you dance.
Your bum is the first part of your body that will tone when you start dancing. The technical term for these are the gluteal muscles. Of course, dancing also works on your quadriceps, the muscles on the front of your thighs. These muscles allow you to move your thighs and hips and extend your leg.
That’s not everything, though. Your hamstrings, the muscles on the back of your thighs, will also get a good workout. These muscles are used to bend your leg at the knee.
Your calves also play an important role in dancing as they allow you to maintain your balance and move your feet.
Here are some examples of the different types of dancing and the muscle groups they work on:
- Upper body: hip hop, oriental, ballet.
- Lower body: ballroom, rock, zouk.
- Full body: capoeira, tango.
By combining this with a balanced diet, you’ll lose weight more effectively.
So are you ready to start dancing?
You can find plenty of dance tutors on Superprof offering a range of different services. You can get private tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials.
Group tutorials are good for those on a budget as the cost of the lesson is shared amongst the students in attendance. However, this does mean that the lesson won't be tailored to just you and your fitness goals.
Online tutorials are when the tutor provides their lessons remotely via a programme such as Skype. While these types of lessons work better for academic subjects rather than physical activities, you can still get these types of tutorials for dancing. Since the tutor doesn't have any travel costs, they can charge less per hour than they would in regular private tutorials.
One on one private tutorials are the most expensive option but they're also the most cost-effective. This is because you'll have your own dedicated tutor providing you with dance instruction that's tailored to your needs, goals, and learning styles. They can put together a plan for you and help you achieve your goals.
A lot of the tutors on Superprof offer the first hour of tuition for free so you can try out their lesson, discuss your needs, and, most importantly, see if you get along before you start getting regular private dance tutorials with them.
It's never been easier to learn how to dance and lose weight!
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