Ballroom dancing is as good exercise as a full workout in the gym, researchers have found. Half an hour on the dance floor improves physical fitness as much as a session on the treadmill or exercise bike. And it is far more likely to attract those especially the elderly who would never dream of conventional cardiovascular training, Dancing to other music including salsa or rock n roll has the same effect as long as it is vigorous, said Mexican heart specialist Hermes liarraza, He said that the benefits of physical activity for heart patients were well known, but they often found it boring. People like to dance so we thought it would be an attractive option. Over five weeks for five days a week,40 heart disease patients did 30 minutes of dancing or indoor cycling at a gym, he told the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona. All increased their exercise capacity by roughly a third. |
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