Has your fitness routine become boring and predictable? How about trying something different than the conventional aerobic exercises such as running or step classes and taking up something fun and social like salsa dancing. The cool thing is you sweat as much doing salsa as you would climbing a stair climber, but you get to wear something sexier than sneakers to participate in it.
As a woman, I get excited about getting all dolled up and wearing high heels to go salsa dancing. It’s part of the art, part of the ambience, part of the excitement. Men generally take a bit more effort to look debonair as well. Who doesn’t want to go out and look and feel sexy? Most of us do and who knew that it also counts as a great workout even if it involves a possible mojito and rhythmic, sensual, upbeat music with lots of friends.
Salsa music first appeared in New York City in the 60’s as a rhythmic fusion of Cuban Son with Guaracha, Montuno and Guaguanc. It also has a strong American jazz influence and Plena and Bomba from Puerto Rico creating a unique urban sound that just penetrates through your veins and makes you want to move and shake it. Oh yeah! I always look forward to my salsa workouts.
Salsa's popularity began to heat up in the early 70’s in Latin neighborhoods and soon spread into New York's ballrooms and dance halls. Although it’s become standardized for dancers who wish to enter professional competitions, most people dance to it in a spontaneous and highly energetic way true to its original form. The lively and variant musical style allows for alternating very slow and very furious dance movements.
The sudden bursts of frenzied dancing can help to improve the anaerobic fitness essential to other sports such as basketball, sprinting and swimming. I find that I’m able to engage in other activities with ease due to the aerobic and agility gains that I’ve made from salsa dancing, stretching and some light strength training. Elasticity from dancing will help your overall range of motion, power and coordination.
Salsa dancing merges aerobic and anaerobic training, working your leg strength and endurance. Dancing in general is a great way to build the perfect body shape- well; I can aspire to it, right? The continual movements and use of your whole body build up aerobic endurance while steadily burning calories over the course of the evening. This helps to strengthen and tone your legs at the same time you are shedding pounds—salsa is fantastic for this. And although I may not have the perfect body, my legs often receive great compliments.
According to experts, dancing salsa can burn up to 10 calories a minute, without the potential cause of injury and jarring of the knees that high impact exercises such as running can cause. You can learn salsa with or without a partner, at home or in a dance studio or club and integrate it into your fitness program. As you learn and engage in more salsa activity to get fit, you’ll not only look and feel great, you’ll end up having a blast and forming a whole new facet to your social life. Life is too short to waste on boring, traditional aerobics and group classes. Ladies, put some sexy heels on and learn how to dance HOT salsa to look and feel great!
Marcella Castellanos teaches salsa at Yoga Vallarta. And also teaches bachata. You can contact her via Facebook or Twitter at Latin Motion PV or at www.latinmotionpv.com or visit her blog at http://latinmotionpv.blogspot.com/.
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