When there is music playing at a social gathering. Something incredible seems to occur. People are moving sometimes together and at other times to their beat. They’re breathing hard. Sweat begins to form and drip from their faces. Heart rates increase. This amazing something is dancing, and it has a lot of benefits for you.

M. Nicholson, Hip Hop Fitness class in Dublin, Ohio, lead by Mike Nicholson.

When you begin to get your groove on, you burn calories. The number of calories that you burn per half hour of dance can be the equivalent or higher than that of running, swimming, and cycling. It has been proven at a few big gyms that, when done with a certain level of intensity., That an hour of an M. Nicholson Hip Hop Fitness class is equal to running 7.5 miles at a 9 minute 30 second per mile pace.

M. Nicholson Hip Hop Fitness class in Gahanna, Ohio, getting it in.

Dancing expends a lot of energy; this is due to the various movements you are required to do in different directions. Exercises like running, swimming, and cycling need a certain rhythm for you to keep moving to reach your fitness goals. Dance involves rhythm, but there is a lot of starting and stopping involved. I’ve always said the way we burn calories is comparable to how a car burns gas. You get higher gas mileage by maintaining a steady speed on a smooth, flat road. Your vehicle gets less gas mileage in conditions where you are constantly accelerating and braking. The latter is what happens with dance.