Chiropractic and Dancing With the Stars (and Dancing Without Them)

Reviewed by: Dr. Steven Knauf, D.C.

By Sara Butler

If there’s one thing every body was made to do, it’s to move. Some people move by walking, others enjoy running. Some move by kayaking, hiking, or skiing -- and still others like to move to the beat through dancing.

Dancing has pretty much been around since the invention of music. There’s something about listening to a piece of music that speaks to you and moving your body in time with it. It’s good for your mind, it’s good for your soul, and most importantly it’s good for your body.

Dancing With the Stars is still going strong with over 30 seasons, highlighting just how much people love to dance and are entertained by it. If you’ve found yourself wishing you could salsa or tango, it’s never too late. You may never get to dance with Derek Hough or break down your dance moves with Tyra Banks, but you can dance your way to better health nonetheless.

Is Dancing Athletic?

If you’ve ever watched professional dancers, then you already know that dancing is indeed athletic. Dancing, whether it’s modern dance, folk dance, contemporary dance, or one of the many other forms of dance, is a cardio workout. Dancers use their legs, spin, and must engage their core to maintain form, jump, and turn. Even though they may not move like other athletes, never doubt that this art form takes a lot of dedication and hard, physical work.

Is Dancing Good Exercise?

It may surprise you to find out that athletes from other sports often take dance classes in an effort to improve balance and flexibility. It requires strength and stamina. Dancers often have a lot of endurance because they spend so long working out to perfect their craft.

This is also why you see so many exercise classes based on dance. Zumba and Barre are just two types of exercise classes that incorporate dance moves into them to improve strength and endurance.

How intense your workout is when dancing depends on the type of dance you do and how long you do it. According to the National Institutes of Health, dance styles that tend to be slower, such as ballroom dance, are about the same intensity as going for a walk or some similar type of exercise. Fast-paced dances, such as hip hop dancing, swing dancing, or Latin dancing, are akin to more vigorous workouts such as swimming or jogging. All dancing burns calories, but as with any other form of aerobic exercise, how many calories you burn depends on the intensity of the activity.

Is There an Emotional Benefit to Dancing?

Dancing has the same emotional benefits as other forms of exercise because the movement stimulates your body’s feel-good chemicals, called endorphins, that help to boost mood. Beyond the release of these chemicals that make you feel like you could grab Valentin Chmerkovskiy or Cheryl Burke and win the latest season of DWTS, dancing helps you to feel more connected to your own body.

Some of the other emotional benefits of dancing include the following.

Reducing depression - Studies report that dancing reduces feelings of depression. The style of dance doesn’t matter, simply moving to music can improve mental health and increase happiness.

Sharpening the mind - You may play sudoku to help keep your mind sharp, but dancing can help as well. Dancing involves a lot of multi-tasking, making it a great activity to keep your brain fit as you age.

Decreasing stress - Moving your body along to your favorite song creates joy in everyone from the very young to the elderly. This movement in combination with music stimulates feelings of relaxation and can help the stress melt away.

Connecting with others - Dancing is an activity you can do alone, but it’s also something that is fun to do with others. Making new friends or reinforcing connections you already have is a great way to stay emotionally healthy.

What Are the Benefits of Dancing?

While dancing is good for your mind, it’s also good for your body. No matter your age, your shape, or your size, dancing is a great way to stay fit. It helps to improve muscle tone and strength. It also increases your endurance and overall fitness.

The health benefits of dancing include the following.

• Strengthening of the lungs and heart
• Increased flexibility
• Improved strength
• Increased agility and coordination
• Strengthening of bones
• Weight management

Sure, you could jump on a rowing machine or take up jumping rope to stay fit, but tap dancing or street dancing or dancing like no one’s watching in your home is so much more fun!

Can Chiropractic Help People Who Dance?

Chiropractic care is tailored to each person, but there are benefits chiropractic can offer to people who dance as well as perform other forms of exercise.

The way that dancers must move requires the central nervous system to do a lot of things all at once. When joint dysfunctions are present, they impede the way your central nervous system communicates with the rest of the body. Chiropractors can help individuals address any joint dysfunctions that may be present, helping the central nervous system to function more optionally. This will also help to improve coordination and balance, which are key for dancers.

Any activity and sport can also result in injury. The chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic can help to address injuries when they happen, getting you on the road to recovery sooner and keeping you more comfortable as you heal.

Dancing can be a fun and entertaining way to move your body and improve your health. You don’t have to aim for a perfect score on DWTS, but you can aim to hit the right note in the balance between having fun and exercise to stay healthy. And remember, the most important thing you can do is make sure to regularly move your body, but you may as well have a great time doing it.

No matter what type of dancing you want to pursue for your health, the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic are the perfect partners -- not in dance, but in health!

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