Getting in shape doesn’t require spending hours in the gym; other exercises such as dancing make working out more fun! One woman realized that dance gave her a workout without feeling like hard work. She looked forward to it because it incorporated movement in a way that resonated with her. The key to success with any workout program lies in finding exercise that you can stick with long-term, which is what Ebony did! Here’s her story.
While Ebony does also train in the gym and incorporates weights into her home workouts, she enjoys dancing the most.
“I like cardio, and my favorite is dancing,” Ebony says. “I love to dance. Probably the best workout that you could ever do is dancing. You don’t even realize you’re working out because you’re having so much fun!”
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If you look at her Instagram page, you’ll see that Ebony exercises with dancing more than anything else. It’s a wonderful workout because you sweat and burn a ton of calories, even in just a 30-minute dance session. Dancing improves heart health, increases strength, and helps with balance and coordination as well. In fact, a 30-minute dance class burns anywhere from 130 to 250 calories, around the same as jogging.
Other benefits of regular cardio exercise, such as dancing, include:
- increased stamina
- improved mobility and flexibility
- improved blood flow
- a stronger immune system
- better sleep
- reduced stress
- reduced risk for certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease
- reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression
Many people tout the physical health benefits of dancing, but the mental health aspect often gets overlooked. With so many people struggling with mental health nowadays, dancing can be an essential outlet for stress. It offers a fun way to exercise and can help you make connections if you sign up for a class. Socialization is just another benefit of dancing, but it can also be done in the comfort of your home.
How Many Calories Might You Burn?
Here are approximately how many calories you burn in thirty minutes with different types of dance:
- Ballet: 179 calories
- Ballroom: 118 calories
- Hip hop: 207 calories
- Salsa: 143 calories
- Swing: 207 calories
- Country Western line dancing: 172 calories
- Tap: 164 calories
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Of course, you’ll need a dance partner for some of these, but hip-hop is great if you’re dancing solo. You can also check with your local gym to see if they offer classes like Zumba. Many gyms today have a variety of dance classes, free with a membership. You may also make some friends when you attend classes, which makes the whole experience even more fun.
Ebony started her journey by working out and eating better to get the ball rolling. She incorporated dance later on, to add some variety to the routine. Ebony says that since diet and exercise go hand-in-hand, she wanted to focus on both.
What helped Ebony the most along her fitness journey
“Eating is the biggest part of it, so I changed up my diet,” Ebony said. “What worked the best for me is a low-carb diet. I’m a carb girl, so staying away from carbs has helped me a whole lot. Also, not eating after a certain hour in the day, and drinking more water – those things helped me a whole lot.”
She also said that having a personal trainer aided her fitness journey since she was held accountable. When Ebony embarked on this new phase of her life, she unfortunately ended up losing her job. However, she saw that as a blessing in disguise.
“Losing my job was probably one of the best things that could’ve happened to me,” Ebony said. “I took that time to literally work on me, and I started going so hard. I was like ‘No this will not defeat me, I will be great!’”
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With the time off from work, Ebony took advantage of it and decided to improve herself. Sometimes, life tells us to slow down and focus on ourselves for a while. Oftentimes, setbacks in life can serve as a foundation for something even better to grow. She also said that a positive from this journey is that she’s changed her mindset.
“When you’re on a weight loss journey, you have to renew your mind in the way you think about everything. So I’m in a process now of renewing my mind with the way that I think about food and the relationship that I have with it so that I can be better.,” she said.
“But, renewing your mind and being more positive and being intentional, those things definitely help on the journey, and they’ve helped me. I’ve become the most positive that I’ve ever been in my life; it’s allowed me to grow and to elevate in a way that I could have even imagined for myself.”
She says that working out changes so much about a person, in a good way, and we couldn’t agree more! Ebony leaves us with this inspiring and uplifting message for the new year.
“I’m still fighting to get fit, the journey is continuing on, and 2021 is definitely approaching us so let’s just be the best that we can be!”
Final thoughts: dancing is a wonderful, fun way to exercise that burns a ton of calories!
If you don’t like traditional workouts or slaving away in a gym, dancing may be a great option. Not only does it take away the monotony and drudgery of workouts, but it offers a ton of health benefits. Ebony showed us how she used dancing to help her get in shape and said it helped both her physical and mental health.
We hope whatever workout you choose, you enjoy it and can inspire others along your journey. We all require exercise to stay healthy, but no one said it had to feel like boot camp! Whether you pick dancing, yoga, swimming, or anything else, choose something that feels right for your soul.
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