1. Constant Learning
A study conducted by Dr. Kathrin Rehfeld at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases compared various groups of elderly people who were given specific exercise routines for 18 months. Some groups were assigned endurance and flexibility training such as walking or cycling, and one group was given weekly dance lessons.
Every week they were challenged with something new, be it a new genre of dance, a new step, or a new routine. It was found that all the groups experienced an increase in the hippocampus center of the brain - an area that is particularly vulnerable to age-related decline and diseases - though the dance group experienced a noticeable difference. Dr. Rehfeld explained that the most challenging aspect for the group was to recall the routines under the pressure of time, and without any cues from the instructor.
2. Coordination and Balance
Balance and coordination can be difficult, becoming even more challenging as we age. The challenge with aging is that you become increasingly dizzy, lose your balance and fall. As a result, you are also more likely to experience a serious injury. But dancing trains and improves all of these areas: Spins, turns, quick side-to-side and up and down movements, train the areas of the brain and the inner ear to deal with those quick changes and sharp movements. This helps you become less dizzy from everyday movements, such as going up the stairs or getting up and out of a chair.
In addition, dancing also helps strengthen a variety of muscles in your feet, legs, and hips as well as your core, so that if you do lose your balance, you are able to stop yourself from falling. Dancing teaches coordination and muscle memory, so if you dance and practice routines, you are nurturing and developing the brain-muscle connection and neurons.
3. Improved Memory
We all would like to have better memory, but this is especially pertinent for older adults. As we age our ability to remember and recall names, dates, places, and facts declines. But dancing helps us connect the mental (learning new steps and the order they come in) with the physical (actually executing the routine). This results in memory improvement and strengthened neuronal connections in the brain.
4. Music Stimulates Brain Activity
Scientists and researchers who study neurodegenerative diseases have long discussed the profound impact that music has on the brain, especially for those suffering from cognitive decline. Dance, not only offers benefits of the physical practice itself but as it is accompanied by music, this helps stimulate the reward centers of the brain in combination with the sensory and the motor circuits that are activated when you start dancing.
Furthermore, studies done on Parkinson's disease found that those who practiced and learned dance, had an improved sense of balance and fell less, they also experienced a slower rate of motor decline and an overall slower progression of the disease.
5. Dancing Makes You Happy
Whatever the style, dancing gets you moving. This form of exercise is fantastic for your heart, lungs, muscles, and joints and is a fun way to burn calories. It also helps you shed stress. It also allows us to connect with others, when we are at parties, for instance.
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