Dance Beats Fitness Training for Memory and Balance
I was just in Gold Coast, Australia for a family wedding. Needless to say, there was a lot of dancing. I’ve been somewhat dance-deprived for the past year, so the wedding was the perfect kickstart I needed to get back into my dance groove.
I’ve been dancing since I was a little kid. For a couple of years, I’ve been looking into its myriad benefits, including improved immunity, pain reduction, lowered stress, and enhanced creative ability. As it turns out, dancing offers us so much more than just a good time.
Recent research suggests that dance is more effective than a traditional fitness regimen in boosting memory and balance in aging people. Compared to groups that engaged in brisk walking, and in stretching and balance training, the group that danced showed improved memory and speed. Dancing seems to provide a suitable means for fighting the decline in memory and balance that elderly people face.
In addition, this research uses brain imaging, a noninvasive way to study the effects of a dance intervention.
Harvard’s Department of Neurobiology has compiled more benefits of dancing, including the possible reversal of Parkinson’s disease. Check it out, and let me know how what kind of dancing you enjoy.
Dancing can improve memory and balance as we age, more so than regular fitness training. This is a picture of wedding attendees of all ages getting their groove on last week at a family wedding I attended in Australia.