Dancing to Benefit Your Health and Your Soul

Archaeologists have unearthed traces of dances from prehistoric times, including those on rock shelter paintings in India and Egyptian tombs determined as far back as 30,000 years.

Historically, dancing has been used as a means of ceremonies, rituals, healing, method of expression, socializing, war, peace.  Recent studies indicate that dancing may well provide another benefit—longevity. And this is why we believe dancing to benefit your health and your soul.

According to a study conducted at the German Center for Neurogenerative Diseases, dancing is equivalent to endurance training as both increase the region of the brain that declines with age.  An added benefit of dancing, this study suggested, is that dancing enhances balance in the elderly.

The participants in this German study averaged 68 years in age and underwent an 18-month weekly course of learning new dances while others were assigned to flexibility training and other moderate forms of exercise.  Both groups experienced increases in the hippocampus region of the brain, which is vulnerable to such diseases as Alzheimer’s and loss of memory and impaired balance which is why you almost always hear music when stepping into a Priority Life Care Memory Care Neighborhood.

Music and dancing is highly engaging for our seniors. Other benefits of low impact dancing for the elderly include abating depression, increasing strength, cardio-vascular health and overall flexibility. “Livestrong.com” suggests seniors, after obtaining their doctors’ approval, should first undertake such low impact dances as salsa, jazz, ballroom and chair aerobics. At Priority Life Care communities, you will find dancing to benefit your health and your soul.