Dance your Pants Off!

I think most people will agree that dancing is a super fun way to shed some calories.  But here's an added plus: it's also one of the most eco-friendly cardio-workouts out there!


Photo Source: Apple, Inc.

Think about it this way: you don't need workout equipment, like treadmills or weight machines, that consume vast amounts of electricity to operate or take a lot of energy to produce.  If you ever turn a treadmill on in a home, notice that the lights usually dim significantly or flicker.  ** I'm not saying there is anything wrong with going to the gym, but adding dancing to your cardio repertoire can help you consume less electricity to stay healthy**.

You can do it anywhere; at home, at a restaurant, of course at a dance club. You can dance in your underwear, in front of the mirror, swinging your hair around 'til you pull a muscle from whiplash and... ahem... moving on.... If you dance wherever you happen to be at the time, you're reducing your carbon footprint by not driving someplace new (added bonus: save money on gas).

Disclaimer: It's your choice to dance anywhere and in any way you want but I wouldn't encourage dancing in your knickers in the middle of Times Square unless you're the Naked Cowboy (or unless you want to get arrested).

If you're one of the many people who like to have some idea of what they're doing before they hit the dance floor and if you live in Massachusetts, I want to divulge a wonderful local treasure I found, with you (shameless plug alert).  It's a series of dance classes called Saturday Nite Dancing for Fun.  The classes are held through the Assabet Valley After Dark program and go for 12 weeks every semester.  Some couples turn the class into their date night, while others use it as a warm-up before hitting the town.  Miraculously, the classes work out to be less than $8 per person!  How can you go wrong?

Even with all those perks, the incentive of these classes is really the teacher, Ed Burch.  Ed lives by a Zimbabwean proverb, "If you can talk you can sing. If you can walk you can dance," and it's true.  He makes dancing fun and accessible to all ages and skill levels (one woman even took the class in a cast last semester!).  He breaks down the steps in a way that is easy to learn; and instead of teaching students routines, he gives them the tools and moves they need to look good on a dance floor on their own terms.  I've been taking the classes for 2 years and I can't get enough!

On a side note, Ed has a way of making an entire room of people laugh and feel comfortable, no matter what their age or background.  I've often heard people say that taking Ed's classes (and/or dancing together in general) has been better than couple's therapy for their relationship.  Experiment in your area and find something that's right for you.

Whether you take classes with Ed, find a different group of people to dance with in your area, or like dancing in the comfort and privacy of your own home (probably the most carbon-neutral option), just keep dancing.  It's great for your health and has little to no environmental impact.  Hey, you never know, maybe one day you could look like this:

or practice enough and it could be this:

 

or maybe even this! ;-D The best of them all in my opinion.:

The point is this: dancing makes you feel good.  So get out there and dance your pants off!  Who cares where or who's watching?!?

~Shreena