Dancing heals both body and brain...
Dancing not only keeps you in shape but also increases mental strength and makes you happy. Dancing, which exercises muscles, reduces stress and increases motivation, also has important benefits for the brain. According to experts, dancing expands the area of the brain involved in memory and decision-making.
Üsküdar University Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department Faculty Member Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said that dancing has very beneficial aspects for human health.
Stating that when it comes to exercise or sports for health, activities such as walking, running, playing football, cycling come to mind, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said, "However, dance, which is much older than the written records of human culture, is another fun method that can keep us physically fit."
Dancing improves the brain
According to a study, the risk of dementia decreased by 76% in couples who dance, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said, "In recent studies on neurodegenerative diseases (affecting neurons in the human brain), it has been observed that there is a significant increase in volume in some parts of the hippocampus, the region of the brain related to memory and orientation, in the brains of older people who have been dancing for 18 months."
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said that many valid reasons for dancing can be listed, and listed the positive effects of dance on human health as follows:
Many muscle groups work simultaneously while dancing: You can increase your physical fitness, balance, general health and coordination by dancing 2 or 3 times a week. Your brain works during the stages of learning dance figures. Your motor skills, attention and memory, both near and far, are also trained.
Dancing reduces stress and helps to improve bad moods: Studies have shown that repeated enthusiastic movements increase the amount of serotonin, the so-called 'happiness hormone', in the blood. This increase has a positive effect on mood and the immune system. Dancing supports stress management and gives you the experience of how to recover from a bad day.
Dancing increases motivation: If you're running or exercising alone, it's easy to make excuses and give in to your inner reluctance. The beauty of dancing is that you can do it in a fun way with a dance partner or a group.
Dancing is suitable for everyone and requires no special skills: Rhythmic movement is inherent in human movement. Nevertheless, one should always listen to one's body and adjust the movements to the individual performance.
Low risk of injury: Dancing as a hobby is advantageous because it does not overload the joints and does not allow for incorrect loads, even for beginners. It should always include warm-up, stretching and cool-down phases, just like any other exercise.
Dancing clears the mind: Studies have shown that people who dance for a long time do better than others in tests of attention and intellectual ability. This is because both individual dancing and adapting to a choreographer's dance in a group requires attention, adaptation and thinking.
Stating that it would be more beneficial to dance with people of one's own age level and performance, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said, "This will help prevent you from experiencing disappointment in the beginning and will help you dance better over time."
Dance also relaxes children
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said, "The best thing is to start dancing as a child. Research shows that school children who dance have less aggressive behavior."
Asst. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu said, "In the beginning; it is important to train regularly at least once or twice a week. In principle; fast dancing increases your fitness, slow dancing increases your posture. The ideal is to apply a combination of the two," she said, emphasizing that you can stay happy and healthy by dancing.