Dancing is an ideal activity to find physical and mental well-being. It is such a complete and varied exercise that it is difficult to find someone who will abandon it once they have tried it.
Dancing is an extremely pleasant and beneficial activity for physical and mental health. So much so that it is attractive to most people, regardless of their age or physical condition.
There are many styles to dance, as many as musical genres. For that reason, it’s hard not to find a style that appeals to everyone. There are some more energetic and others calmer, but both have the power to improve both physical fitness and psychological well-being.
Why is dancing good for physical and mental health?
One of the great advantages of dancing is that you don’t need to be an expert or have special equipment to practice it, just let yourself be carried away by the rhythm and give it a good attitude. If you still have doubts, then we delve into the benefits of dance for physical and mental health.
1. It is a way of expressing emotions
The power of music to connect with the most emotional part of an individual is well known. Just by listening to certain songs, it is possible to identify with the lyrics and feel things.
However, in the case of dancing it is not only possible to feel emotions, but also to express them. Dancing is joining the body movement with the lyrics or the tempo of the music, so that stories, ideas or feelings can be told.
This can be a helpful resource for all those who find it difficult to express their emotions with words. It is not always easy to verbalize what one feels, but emotional expression is a fundamental part of mental health . Therefore, dancing as a cathartic exercise is extremely beneficial to feel better.
2. Enhances cognitive processes
Dancing as a physical activity requires being alert and activating all cognitive processes. From perception to memory, including coordination or decision-making, dance puts all the mental resources of the person to the test .
3. Improve self-confidence
When you dance, you are able to transform yourself into a powerful person and demonstrate your physical qualities through choreography. These small changes, which can be subtle, actually have a lot of power to change the image that a person has of themselves.
Dance is one of the most effective activities to increase confidence in oneself . This occurs in part because changes in body image – reduced body fat and increased muscle mass – are perceived in a positive way.
This positive change is motivated because new abilities and skills are acquired as a result of the increase in strength and flexibility. Few things are more satisfying than verifying for yourself that it is possible to make movements that were previously seen as impossible.
4. Strengthens control over the body
One of the benefits of dancing for physical and mental health is that you learn to use your body in a different way. Normally, this body awareness is not very developed , but if you make an effort to enhance it, there will be important benefits.
The most obvious is that you will have greater control over the different parts of the body . This means that, when executing a movement, it will be more precise and can be performed with less effort, since muscle tension will be channeled more efficiently.
Don’t think about it anymore and let yourself be carried away by the rhythm of the music
Anyone who dares to try dancing at first feels like a robot incapable of flowing, graceful movements. It’s normal, it’s just the effect of stress and nerves from learning something new. As soon as you let yourself go, you will begin to notice all the benefits of dancing on your body.
Finally, remember that the benefits of dancing go beyond what is strictly physical and mental health. Thanks to dance, it is possible to meet other people with similar tastes and share very special moments with them , so social health will also be strengthened.
