Exercise: What About Ballroom Dancing

I never have any idea when these articles get written; all I know is that my RSS reader picks one every day, since I’ve subscribed, and today, iVillage’s daily feed item is about ballroom dancing.

Which immediately made me think of what a friend told me, two weeks ago, or rather shown me, while we were playing squash. This guy used to be as unfit as me, I swear; then we both picked up exercise and watching our food at the same time, but he’s had the opportunity to do something I can’t do here (not that I don’t want to, but the nearest town is a very small one, and there just isn’t any there): salsa classes.

After two months of dancing twice a week for two or even three hours straight, I tell you, my friend is tireless. Once the basic steps are learnt, indeed a couple is in constant movement, or almost, for a good hour or more. If this isn’t cardio-training, especially in the case of fast-paced dances such as salsa, then I don’t know what it is.

So, if you have an opportunity to practice ballroom dancing in your area… remember that cardio doesn’t have to be that boring stuff on a stationary bike in a gym: it can also be something pretty funny, such as dancing.