Strictly Come Slimming
Friday 12 September 2008
Strictly Come Dancing is back, hurray!
It’s that time of the year again, when a bunch of lycra-clad celebrities will be battling it out on the dancefloor – and as every year, we shall be utterly transfixed by the beauty and grace of the dance routines (well, at least when the professionals demonstrate their skills, he he).
Ever since the first season of Strictly hit our telly screens, there has been a huge surge of interest in ballroom dances – but it’s not only the amazing moves and sparkly sequins that have us hooked!
It probably hasn’t escaped your attention how fit and toned the participants are – hardly surprising, considering dancing is an excellent cardio-workout and the routines are really quite strenuous.
And if that isn’t enough motivation to get you on the dancefloor, here are some other health benefits:
* Dancing gets the adrenalin pumping and can help to fight depression
* It's a great form of aerobic exercise that benefits the heart and core muscles and can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
* The varied moves and steps exercise every muscle of your body and improve your stamina and fitness levels
* Dancing strengthens your legs, shoulders and arms
* Learning complex routines and figures may help in improving your reflexes, memory and coordination
* One hour of dancing can burn between 200 – 500 calories depending on the dance
Closer has put together the low-down on the work out benefits of the ten dances our celebs will be trying to master:
Click here to find out more about Latin and Standard dances
Strictly Come Dancing is back this Saturday, 6.30pm, on BBC1