When was the last time that you let yourself dance the night away? Dancing has long been a favorite pastime. As long as western civilization has been expanding, dancing has been a part of life and culture. It is one of the most common activities that children engage in, starting off with simple dance classes before maturing into adolescents who will then go out of their way to enjoy a good dance party. But for many adults, as time goes on the opportunities for dancing seem to diminish.

Dancing is a highly effective workout technique to promote weight loss, and investing your time into a quality dance aerobics class may be exactly what you need to finally find a workout program that works for your personal needs.

Just Dance

When you think about heading to the gym, you may get visions of treadmills and boring aerobics classes. But there is so much more to the modern gym than what you may originally think. Dance classes have come a long way, and now there is an option for just about anyone, regardless of your music tastes.

Common forms of dance classes include:

• Zumba
• Salsa
• Line Dancing
• Ballet (Barre)

Zumba has quickly become one of the most popular types of exercise classes offered across the country. Using up-beat pop music, this form of dancing borrows moves from hip-hop and salsa, encouraging fast-paced movement with simple dance moves to get you sweating up a storm, burning calories and building muscle without ever losing a smile from your face. A one-hour Zumba class is enough to help you burn anywhere from 300 to 900 calories, depending on the intensity of your engagement in the class. Doing this two to three times a week can mean major progress towards your weight loss goals.

Another very popular dance class available at the moment are barre classes, which borrow moves from ballet and Pilates to encourage a strong workout. These classes move at a slower pace than Zumba classes do, but focus on deep movements and muscle building poses that build strength while also encouraging proper posture. For those who grew up doing ballet and miss the grace and beauty of those classes, barre is an excellent workout option.

The most successful type of workout is the one that you are going to keep up with and do every day. If dancing is something that you have fun with, then don’t try pushing yourself to do workouts you don’t enjoy. Before trying anything new, make sure to check in with your weight loss surgeon to confirm you are ready for the challenge.