Put on your dancing shoes and dance away not just your blues but the extra kilos too!

Tired of the treadmill? Exasperated with aerobics? Ditch your boring old routine and add some fun to your exercise regime. Let down your hair and shake it up by enrolling ina dance class!

Currently, ‘dancercise’ is the rage in physical fitness. From New York to New Delhi, the trickle-down effect of ‘dancercise’ has seen models, mothers and executives, all sway to salsa and make dance an integral part of their fitness routine.

Hot Step To Health
While our `desi’ classical dances are a great form of exercise for those who practice them diligently, fast-moving, hot-stepping dances like salsa are twirling exercise buffs around the world. Not to be outdone, even ‘bhangra’ is catching on. “A fitness workout based on dance is very effective,’’ says Sarina Jain, the much-hyped ‘Indian Jane Fonda’ and founder of Masala Dance & Fitness Inc, New York.

Sarina's Masala Bhangra Workout (MBW) is a mix of traditional North Indian folk dances and the usual fitness mantras. “It helps in exercising the complete body, is a great calorie burner and builds muscle and stamina,’’ says Sarina. She claims that a single MBW session can burn up 500 calories per class.

Fun Option
Anubhav Kumar, a cardio-dance instructor at Delhi’s state-of-the-art exercise studio Tailspin, has devised an hour-long routine combining ballet, salsa and jazz. "What people enjoy most about these sessions is moving step-by-step to non-stop music. In fact, they barely realise they've put in a vigorous hour of exercise because they are having so much fun!"

Banker-turned-fitness expert Sarah Killough Dhar, who runs Tailspin, says that one can burn “almost 700 calories in an hour’s workout while dancing all the time!’’

Therein lies the lure! It doesn’t feel like an exercise regime and is a fun way to learn something new. Sarina says that in her classes, “People sweat it out without knowing that they have just worked out for 45-60 minutes.’’

Effective Workout
Strangely enough in culturally rich India, dance, as a form of exercise, has never got its due. It is still in what, Sarah calls ‘the gestation’ period. Perhaps what would help people make up their mind about ‘dancercise’ is finding out just how effective these workouts are.

“Modern dance is a full cardio workout that makes a difference on multiple levels,’’ says Sarah. “It tones and strengthens the butt, abs and legs and exercises the upper body too.’’

However, not every dance will make you lose weight. “The best way to lose weight is to do a mix of hip-hop, funk and jazz,’’ says Anubhav. “This free-form of modern dance is basically like an aerobic class and involves a lot of upper and lower body exercises and Bollywood style moves.’’

“Being a regular dancer increases muscle endurance and it also helps to strengthen your sense of balance, flexibility and co-ordination,” notes Sarah.

So, how do you select moves that work best for you? Follow Sarina’s mantra. “Any cardio workout is good as long as it gets you to move at a constant beat per minute.’’ Salsa, hip-hop and belly dance are some that make the grade. (See Box)

Feel-Good Factor
Gynaecologist Lalita Badhwar started learning ballroom dancing a year ago and has been hooked on ever since. “It’s not just the exercise,’’ she gushes, "It's the feel-good factor.’’ Dancing releases endorphins, which are happy hormones.

For Lalita, the health factor lies in how she feels after a jive session on the floor - upbeat. “Your tensions and worries vanish and you're instantly in a good mood,’’ she stresses.

For Lalita, dance is also a means of relaxation. “As a doctor, I am dealing with human lives through the day and at the end of it I can unwind by letting go,’’ she says. Aamir, an instructor at Ballrumours Dance Studio, Delhi, drives a 40 km stretch from home to work daily. For him like Lalita, dancing acts as stress-reliever after a tiring day. “It has changed my outlook towards life and people.”

How exactly does shaking it up to your fave beat make that happen? The key here is learning to let your body loose and dancing away with abandon. “It makes your mind confident and improves self-esteem,’’ says Sarina, who thinks what makes dance exciting is that “people tend to let go of their fears.’’

Highs And Lows
Worried about two left feet? Fear not. As Aamir insists, we all have natural rhythms in our bodies that are waiting to be released!

So take to the floor. Choose between high and low-impact dances. Fast-paced movements like jive, salsa or swing are good aerobic exercises and calorie-burners. Slower dances like the waltz are good for people who still need to let go of their inhibitions and are not ready for high-impact moves.

‘Dancercise’ is slowly getting off the ground in India. So get ahead, shake it up and start a fitness routine that never lets you get bored!