Dancing as effective as other exercise forms

As per current guidelines suggested by NHS (National Health Service), adults should complete 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity exercise per week. Meanwhile, WHO recommends adults should do 150-300 minutes of moderate or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity per week. Many relate this to jogging, going to the gym, swimming, or other physical activity. But the study found dancing is just as effective.

The study

The researchers recruited 48 participants aged 18 to 83 years. They investigated how much time you would need to spend casually dancing to constitute “moderate” exercise. Their experience ranged from none to 56 years of dance training. They were asked to participate in five-minute bursts of dancing, with and without music.

The participants’ oxygen intake and heart rate were measured by the scientists to determine the intensity of the exercise during the sessions. The data showed that all participants reached at least a moderate physical activity level while dancing.

Per the study author Dr Aston McCullough, from Northeastern, “The main idea was to understand whether the intensity that people would receive from dancing freely on their own be enough to be a health-enhancing physical activity. And the answer was ‘yes’. All adults were able to reach a health-enhancing level of activity without being told what intensity to dance at.”

He told the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference, “They just put on their own music and danced around – and even when they didn’t have music on they were still reaching that level. The main idea for us is that dance is a really accessible form of physical activity that people can do, even in their homes.”

“Most people think of dance as something that is light and really easy, but really if you just tell someone to “have a dance” they’re going to get to that level of intensity that you would ask them to do if you were a personal trainer,” Dr McCullough concluded.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.