Dancing - The Lost Exercise
By Lori Piper, Co-owner of Little Snowbird Children's Tea from Piper Enterprises, www.littlesnowbird.com

Play the following scene out in your mind:

(Three women are sitting at a break room table in an office building, eating various meals for lunch.)
Woman 1: So, what should we do tonight?
Woman 2: There's a new scary movie that just came out. We could go see it.
Woman 1: No, I hate scary movies. Something else. It's Friday night, I wanna have some fun!
Woman 3: I know… Let's go dancing! My brother said there's a great band playing downtown at The Swing Stop all weekend!
Woman 1: I don't know, that's too much exercise for me….

Is this a believable line? Have you ever heard anyone refer to going dancing as "exercise"? I haven't. Dancing is, however, a wonderful way to exercise, and the best part is that it doesn't feel like exercising!

Now for a quick primer:

There are two basic types of dancing: free form, and learned dancing.

Free form is the type of dancing you will often see in your typical dance club. These clubs play house music or hip-hop and usually have DJ's.

Learned dancing is taught by professionals and is practiced, and is often seen in clubs specializing in certain types of music. These clubs more often than not have an actual stage with a live band playing. For example, swing clubs showcase swing bands, and swing dancing is what you will see there. Salsa clubs, jazz clubs, oldies (rock 'n roll) clubs, and country/western clubs are also common, and there are many others.

This is where you will have to do a little research to determine which type might work for your kids:
1. Find out if your children like to listen to music.
You probably already know the answer. If they like to listen to music, great! Move to the next step. If they are not interested in music, then another form of exercise is probably better for them.
2. Find out what types of music they like.
You can ask them, but even they may not know the answer. Try playing different styles of music and see what motivates them to smile and move. Dance around yourself and see if this raises their mood or at least makes them laugh. You don't have to buy music; there are plenty of websites that will play styles of music at your request (www.pandora.com for instance).
3. Determine what type of dancing fits their musical style.
If the only music they like is modern top-40 or hip-hop music, then free-form dancing in clubs would most likely get them moving. If they pick up on rock n' roll or swing, then learned dancing is for them.
4. Help them get in the action.
Offer to give them lessons, or take lessons with them. Take them to a dance club so they can see everyone dancing to the music they enjoy. If you can't find the right clubs out there, check with your community leaders about starting community dances. Check on the Internet; there are many resources out there (such as Yahoo groups) and you may be able to find information for your local area, or the nearest metropolitan area.

Keep in mind that the average 150 lb. person dancing for one hour will burn anywhere from 200 to 500 calories, depending on the speed and style of the dance. And ask anyone who likes to go dancing; you rarely dance for only an hour!

A quick note: like I said in step 1, dancing is not necessarily for everybody. Most people I have talked to are either 'music people' or not. I myself am definitely a 'music person'. I absolutely loathe exercising, but put me on a swing dance floor, and I can't stop smiling no matter how much I sweat. It still amazes me today how swing music can lift my spirits and get me moving. I personally could swing dance for hours and never want to stop (except for a little water, maybe!). I also find that I am in a generally better mood when I go dancing often.

Ask me to pick up a barbell or jog around the block, and I might lose weight from laughing too hard!

The key to incorporating any activity into your life is to enjoy it. No matter how determined you are, if you do not enjoy something, chances are that you will not make it a habit. This is where dancing comes in. Dancing is fun, and the right music can be an astounding motivator.