Dancing: How this fun activity strengthens muscles

Kids love to groove to lilting tunes. Matching steps with music is something that comes naturally to most children. However, dancing is not only a fun activity. It comes with a lot of fitness benefits too. It can be done alone at home or as a recreational activity to socialize. In times like these, when social restrictions do not allow physical dance classes to be conducted, kids can engage in dancing at home with family and friends or through online dance sessions. It will help them build muscle strength and endurance.  

How does dancing help in strengthening muscles? 
Getting in shape isn’t always about rigorous workout routines and multiple exercises. It can be as simple as taking up a fun activity like dancing. It is considered to be a great exercise because dance involves whole body movement. While exercises like cardio and running can feel exhausting, dancing releases neuro chemicals like dopamine and serotonin which are excellent for a child’s mind-body balance without tiring them out. Here is how this activity can help your kids strengthen the muscles: 

• Dancing raises heart rate building stamina which is as good as traditional exercises.  
• Contemporary forms of dance help in the development of cardiovascular and muscle strength while increasing endurance and blood flow throughout the body. 
• When a child masters a dance form, the coordination between various muscles and nerves improves.  
• Dancing helps improve flexibility, posture, and balance thereby, enhancing endurance to train for longer hours burning healthy calories. 
• When endurance is increased, your kids will be less prone to injuries and cramps.  

Dance forms that help build muscle strength 
There are high-energy dance forms that can help build core muscle strength and endurance with practice and patience. However, kids do not need to be great dancers to reap the fitness benefits of dancing. Here are some famous dance/exercise forms to build stamina playfully: 

Zumba: This is a form of dance designed in a way to increase heartbeat in short bursts of intervals and to boost cardio endurance. The movements and steps focus on strengthening the hips, core, back muscles, and knee muscles. Any movement can be choreographed into the Zumba routine making it fun and flexible for kids to sweat out. 

Freestyle dancing: It is the best way to get a full body workout and build muscle strength because it involves multiple hand and leg movements without following any specific choreography. Freestyle dancing can to fast-beat music for 30 minutes every day can sculpt muscles and build stamina. 

Streetstyle/ hip-hop: This dance form is a great way of pumping blood to the heart, thereby, increasing heart rate. It gives a full-body cardio workout as it requires the learner to change and adapt to new steps quickly. This helps in building endurance and stamina. It is a great form of dance to tone the abdominals and build core strength through constant motion.