Dance, Dance, Dance: Burn Calories and Have Fun with Kids
Wish you had time to take one of those trendy exercise classes like kickboxing? Too busy with the kids? Here's how you can bring a trendy workout right to your own home! You can do it anytime—and your kids can do it with you!
Whether you are swirling across the floor to a waltz or shaking your hips to the top ten, you are getting fantastic exercise—and having fun. Dancing can burn just as many calories as walking, swimming, biking or aerobics. Thirty minutes of sustained dancing will burn between 200 to 450 calories. The side-to-side movement of many types of dancing strengthens weight-bearing bones such as the tibia, fibula and femur, and can help prevent or slow bone loss.
If you weigh 120 to 140 lbs, you can burn about 120 calories with just 20 minutes of dancing. If you weigh 140 to 160 lbs, you can burn around 135 calories with just 20 minutes of dancing. Keep in mind that the dancing has to be continual, but if you play your favorite tunes you won’t want to stop.
Three times a week we have a family dance-a-thon. It’s part of our family workout time. After dinner, once everyone’s food has digested, my husband and I put on our four little princesses' favorite CD: Hannah Montana. We crank the music and all dance together for at least 20 to 30 minutes. We make up all kinds of crazy dance moves and it’s a great activity for everybody to just de-stress. Even preschool-age kids can have stressful days, so blowing off some steam is important for everyone. And while Mom and Dad burn some calories, they also get some great quality family time.
Even if you try to go to the gym during the week, this is a great workout for those days when you are too busy running the kids around to practices (or when you leave the office too late) to get in a traditional workout. Believe me, you will work every muscle in your body if you are creative and put in a little effort. Staying fit today means finding unique and satisfying ways to work your body. And what could be more satisfying than spending quality time with your family while you exercise?
