Dance for your health

By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Everyone knows that regular aerobic activity is good for your heart, lungs, circulation, muscle tone, and even your stress level. The problem is, it just isn’t much fun—so many people have trouble committing to an aerobic workout.

However, dancing to upbeat music delivers many of the same physical benefits as a tedious aerobics class. And since dancing raises your spirits as well as your heart rate, the likelihood that you’ll stick with it are much higher.

That’s why people who live at Monarch Landing are jumpstarting their weekends with an aerobic dance class on Friday mornings.

Free-style fitness
“This is an excellent example of people getting out and being active,” says Dr. Thomas Morris, Monarch Landing’s on-site physician. “The problem with many older adults is that they are intimidated [by traditional workouts].”

Dance aerobics removes the pressure that many people feel when they join more conventional fitness classes because all you have to do is move your body—and have fun.

“This is definitely more fun than regular aerobics,” says resident Mary Lou Nagel. “It’s good to hear the music too.”

The rhythm keeps you moving
The group does simple dance moves to classic tunes like “Mony, Mony” by Tommy James, and The Temptations’ “It’s Your Thing.” They start out with slower beats and work up to a quicker tempo, then cool down again, all the while dancing and grooving to catchy rhythms that keep them moving for a full hour.

“People who do moderate exercise daily are always in better shape,” Morris says. He says the regular opportunities for physical activity at Monarch Landing are one of the factors that keep people who live there healthier than the average adult in their age group.

“I do see that the level of their health, and their enjoyment of their lives, is improved,” Morris says. “There’s not one of them I’ve met who’s not smiling ear to ear.”