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Live Ten Years Longer!
Square Dancing will add ten years to your life, a surprising new study shows. Dr. Arron Blackburn states " It’s clear that square dancing is the perfect exercise. It combines all positive aspects of intense physical exercise with none of the negative elements."
Dr. Blackburn said square dancing is a low impact activity requiring constant movement and quick directional changes that help keep the body in shape. The study was based on their physical examination which indicated that both female and male square dancers could expect to live well into their 80's.
Square dance movements raise heart rates like many good aerobic exercises should. All the quick changes of direction loosen and tone up the muscles--but not so severally as to cause injury. In square dancing, when you’re not moving, you’re clapping hands and tapping your feet, which all contributes to long term fitness.
Square Dancing is low stress physical exercise - Add 10 Years to your Life! -
We all know that exercise is good for you but it all seems like hard work. Isn't there a form of exercise that is also fun and doesn't seem like hard work? Yes there is - it's called square Dancing. The physical effort made in square dancing results in square dancers outliving the average person by ten years! Of course, there are many alternate healthful activities, notably regular brisk long walks, working out at the gym, bicycling, swimming, etc. But after a few months, most people find those routines difficult to stick to. Contrast such workouts with three hours of square dancing that fly by with calories burned equal to a comparable painless 3-1/2 mile run. And it's so much fun, you can't wait to come back for more!
Square Dancing's Benefits
by Lee Helsel, SQUARE DANCING, November, 1957
AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS of being associated with square dancing and observing the participants in this activity as dancers, callers, teachers and musicians, I have been impressed with some of the positive results of square dancing and its contribution to our way of life. Surely the tremendous enjoyment -having fun -that comes from square dancing is strong motivation to participate in this activity .However, it becomes apparent that in addition to having fun, there are other values which accrue that are possibly more lasting and of greater continuing benefit. These I would classify in three areas -those having physiological benefits, psychological benefits and sociological benefits.
Physiological. The human organism, the books tell us, is a highly complicated mechanism whose proper functioning depends upon continued use of nerves, muscles, blood, respiration, the digestive system and other organs. One of the obvious benefits of square dancing is the stimulation of these various components of the body. Continual body movement, with proper rest periods, becomes a must for normal living and square dancing provides an excellent outlet for exercise, in proper amounts, for the body as a whole. In dancing, increased respiration and blood rate allow for greater energy transmission from the blood to the muscles and other organs. Most of us live a rather sedentary type of life which provides for little physical exercise. We do not tend to exercise for exercise's sake alone, but by square dancing we exercise and at the same time it becomes a pleasant experience. It has been estimated that the average dancer walks from two to three miles per night in the average square dance. It seems apparent that most of us wouldn't walk that far just for exercise.
Another physiological benefit accruing from square dancing is the increased muscle coordination and skills acquired. Coordination of the use of the proper hand (and in round dancing, the proper foot) and balance necessary in executing certain basic square dance figures develops physical control. Many of our dance figures become habit patterns based upon continual repetition. Semi-automatic execution of some figures of the dance gives the nerve-muscle patterns a change to develop to their fullest. Physical conditioning and maintenance of that condition is a positive benefit resulting from having fun square dancing.
"We do not grow too old to dance. We grow too old because we do not dance." Herb Greggerson, SQUARE DANCING, January, 1953
Psychological. Psychologically square dancing offers a distinct and abrupt change from the everyday pattern of living of the square dancer. The hectic life we lead today makes great demands upon us. The rapid pace of modern living leaves little time for restful meditation which brings about a refreshment of spirit and energy. Authorities agree that the ability to relax and change the pace of our everyday lives is an important step towards longer and better adjusted life. The relaxation in doing something different and pleasant through square dancing is probably one of its greatest psychological benefits. The human being has certain basic psychological needs that must be met just as certain physical needs are satisfied by food and exercise. A list of these might include:
(a) The need to feel satisfaction in something well done.
(b) The need to achieve success.
(c) The need for new experiences.
(d) The need for a sense of security.
These basic needs are satisfied in many different ways. Square dancing offers an outlet and a vehicle for accomplishing this. Satisfaction at having completed a "square" smoothly and without mistakes is certainly one of the things square dancing offers. The need to achieve success may be realized in the dance itself, but very often comes following a successful party, jamboree or other event. The officers and committeemen of a club share in the rewards of satisfying this basic need. New experiences which are typified by new dance patterns or meeting new people or doing "something different" add to the values of square dancing. Monotony leads to dissatisfaction, while variety sparks enthusiasm in retaining continued interest. This factor is not one to be overlooked by callers in planning their programs.
The feeling of security , which we all need, is realized to a degree in dance activities. The "anticipation" of the caller in doing a figure the dancer "thinks" is going to be called is based upon the feeling that the dancer has in mind that he has done it before and he is secure in its execution. Many of our figures are results of habit patterns formed by continual practice and represent a good deal of security .It is quite possible that the average square dancer, upon completion of a night of successful dancing, doesn't know what has happened to him, psychologically, but he experiences the feeling that "something" has happened and he likes it.
The main attraction of square dancing is people experiencing a grand sense of accomplishment. They applaud wildly when they finish a dance which they have done well. At the same time they look forward eagerly to more of the same. Roland Onffroy, SQUARE DANCING, November, 1962
Sociological. The sociological factors relating to square dancing are inherent in the activity itself. The fact that it requires seven other people to form a square establishes a social group relationship that supplies practice for acceptable social contact in the group. The fact that the individual is only a part of this social order offers the realization that he is a member of the group and that he must do his part to remain as an accepted member of the group. All activities surrounding the square dance -club organization, serving on committees, working on behalf of others offer outlets for acceptable social behavior.
Very often an individual's behavior towards others is radically modified through square dancing. I recall the case of one couple who joined a beginners' square dance class and were so bashful and shy they would drop their eyes when spoken to by any person. Through continued relationships in the group and confidence gained by the realization they were an integral part of the group they are now "different people," still reserved, but noticeably "out of their shell" -and all due to square dancing. The basic desire for social recognition finds its outlet in square dancing. We all have the innate desire to be recognized by the group. Through club activities it is possible for individuals to receive such recognition as a reward for "services rendered. " The need of an individual to belong to a group and receive group approval is satisfied in great measure by square dancing clubs. Participation in club projects offers all of us the chance to make some contribution to the group to which we belong and hence to ourselves as members of the group.
In conclusion, it appears that square dancing offers many of the basic factors that are necessary to satisfy the basic needs of people. I know of no other activity -physical or social -that offers so much for so little expenditure of time, effort and money. It is gratifying to know that square dancing offers all this and FUN, too.
For so many people, getting in the groove of physical activity is a matter of becoming a convert.
If that's true, Shirley Thompson, 68, has long been converted. Thompson found exercise at the age of 8. In 60 years' time, her commitment to physical activity has never waned.
Now retired, the North Spokane woman square dances, aerobicizes in water and walks daily. Until the joints in her knee rebelled, she clogged and ran several miles a week. Shirley began running at 55. She signed up for the infamous Bloomsday race in 1985, completing the seven-mile run that year, and for four more years.
"The way I look at it, anything that gets the muscles moving is beneficial," said Shirley, summing up her philosophy on physical activity.
The retired nurse and mother of three grown children believes her affinity for physical activity is a product of her upbringing. No car. No TV. None of the distractions that a bigger city might have offered in the 1930s.
"We didn't have a car growing up," said Shirley, raised near Manitoba, Canada, in a town with 4,000 people. "Father walked to and from work, and we walked or rode our bike everywhere. In the absence of TV, we pursued other entertainment and often that meant dancing."
Shirley still twirls, promenades and "relays the ducey" today. Her husband, Greg Thompson, is also a square dance enthusiast. To both, exercise is the key to maintaining strength, flexibility and healthy hearts, they said. The retired couple also chose activities to broaden their social life. It's so easy for people in their retirement years to get cut off socially, Greg said. So while physical activity improves physiological health, it also prevents boredom and loneliness.
Older people who've led a sedentary life find the idea of exercise a daunting one, Shirley said. What they may not understand, she said, is that physical activity need not be rigorous, time-consuming or sweat-inducing to provide the benefits of good health.
"Exercise can be something that fits neatly into your everyday life," Shirley said. "For all you know, it may be something you already do."
One Wednesday in April, Shirley dressed in typical square dance attire: a cobalt blue ruffled blouse with matching western skirt decked out in lace and calico prints. Several layers of petticoats punched up the skirt, making it flare out at least 12 inches. As is customary in square dance, Greg Thompson wore a cotton shirt to match his wife's.
"No matter what a person's level of fitness, just about anyone can square dance," Thompson insisted. "You put as much or as little into the movements as you like. In our club, some members who have difficulty walking somehow manage to get up and dance."
If people begin to rethink exercise and define it as moderate activity, they'll begin to see that a 15-minute walk with the dog, a 10-minute window washing chore or 20 minutes on a dance floor all count.
Inside the Western Dance Center in the Spokane Valley, Shirley held the hand of her dance and life partner. Together they sashayed to the hardwood, and Shirley said: "Just keep moving."
Square Dancing - Have Fun and Improve Health!
Laughing at least 10 times a day keeps macrocytes high enough to prevent a person from catching most viruses and infections. Many square dancers claim they laugh at least 10 times at any two-hour square dance.
Touch is healthy. Premature babies thrive more if given a gentle massage a few times a week. In Florida retired people, who have been trained and give the premies massages, have been found to decrease their own blood pressures and need less antihypertensives. Autistic children who are held or touched the most have less behavior problems. I haven't found a 10-minute square dance tip where you are either touching or being touched less than 40 times. Alamande left, grand right and left, and meet your partner is six times.
More Americans are overweight today than were 20 years ago. Dancing burns 200-400 calories in 30 minutes according to Mayo's Cardiovascular Health Clinic. According to an article in American Square Dance Magazine, an average 150-pound person burns 102 calories while square dancing 15 minutes. Most square dances have snacks including fresh vegetables.
Most dancing is associated with alcohol and smoking. Square dancing is rarely held where alcohol or smoking is permitted in the building.
Stress increases diseases. It is impossible for the average human to be completing one call, listening for the next call, and worrying about problems.
Many parents wish to spend much of their fun time with their children. Dancers are usually between age 8 and 85.
Aerobic exercise is known to be healthy for circulation, respiration, energy, and extremities. It increases good cholesterol and often lowers total cholesterol. Square dancing speed varies from very fast in clubs catering to teenagers to relaxed pace in senior clubs. The most common is a speed in between using arms and legs in a walking speed. The square dancing on T.V. is usually clogging or square tapping, a special variation.
Married people have a longer life expectancy than single people. Many couples have met at single or family square dance clubs.
Some exercise plans are limited to certain situations. My husband and I have danced to a legally blind caller. We have danced with a man after he had bilateral hip replacements. We frequently dance with people who have had bypass surgery or pacemaker implantation. We have watched a wheelchair club where wheelchair-restricted and their nonrestricted partners in wheelchairs have danced together. There are clubs for the retarded. We have seen an exhibition club where we could not tell which one child was blind and which one child was deaf in squares of mostly unchallenged children. Many asthmatics and diabetics claim better disease control after dancing a few months.
There is a theory that Alzheimer's progression is slowed and onset is prolonged in people who keep the central nervous-neuro muscular pathways active. Square dancing keeps all the senses and neuro pathways moving.
Some exercise plans are hard to find when you travel. Every country that teaches square dancing teaches it with the calls in English. You can buy a directory listing thousands of clubs around the world at 800-542-4010. Links to square dance clubs worldwide can also be found on the internet at http://www.dosado.com/contents.html. Most large cities have square dance something listed in their phone books. Most are glad to help you find the closest or most appropriate club.
Hope - Certified Rehabilitation R.N.
WHY SWEAT WHEN YOU CAN SWING AND WHIRL
Their workouts used to take them miles apart. He'd jog left at the mailbox on a Saturday morning, she'd walk right. They had both been looking for a fun social activity they could do together to increase their circle of friends and to put a new spark into their marriage. Then they tried something one weekend on a friend's advice. They skipped their Saturday-morning workouts and went dancing that evening instead. And guess what? They've been burning calories cheek to cheek every Saturday night ever since. This tale is a composite of stories we hear all the time: Moving feet draw people closer."It's the ultimate togetherness workout," says Phil Martin, a lecturer and dance instructor at California State University, Long Beach. "You move in a physical harmony that works toward an emotional harmony. You also tend to bring back a lot of fond memories. The dance floor can be a great place to give a tiring relationship a second wind." Not just the heartstrings get pulled by the likes of a good fox-trot, however: the heart itself gets a loving tug. "Studies show that steps such as the Cha-Cha, Polka, Samba, Viennese waltz and East and West Coast swing easily can raise the average person's heart rate enough to achieve an aerobic-conditioning effect, Martin says. "You tend not to realize it, though, because you're having too much fun.""Surveys show that fewer than 15 percent of Americans have been successful at sticking to the kind of three-workout-a-week schedule currently recommended for good cardiovascular health, says Bryant A. Stamford, Ph.D., director of the health promotion and wellness center at the University of Louisville and co-author of Fitness Without Exercise (Warner Books, 1990).
FIVE MILES OF FUN
Lee Walker, M.D., wholeheartedly agrees. The 75 year old physician from LaFollette, Tennessee, traded his sweat suit for a pair of blue jeans years ago. Dr. Walker, you see, is a square dancer and has been for about 50 years. "It can be a heck of a good workout but also a heck of a good time," he says. "Studies using pedometers have shown most square dancers cover about five miles in a single night," says Stan Burdick, co-editor of American Square Dance magazine. Nice. and especially nice considering the social milage that gets covered. "People bring their whole families." Dr. Walker says. "Children and grandparents alike take part. It's exercise but it's also a form of celebration. Not a lot of other fitness activities can say that."
The HEALTH aspects.
Overall fitness - Square dancing is the perfect exercise. It combines all the positive aspects of intense physical exercise with none of the negative elements. Square dancing is a low impact activity requiring constant movement and quick directional changes that keep the body in shape. It tones the muscles without causing injury.
Cardiovascular conditioning - As with all regular exercise, square dancing can lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol profile.
Strong bones - The movements of many square dances can strengthen weight-bearing bones and can help prevent or slow down loss of bone mass (osteoporosis).
Burning off calories - Square dancing can burn off as many calories as a brisk walk. An hour of square dancing can burn between 400 and 800 calories.
It's a mental challenge - Modern square dancing is a mental challenge. Calls have to be remembered. Reacting quickly to the square dance caller keeps you mentally on your toes. Whilst concentrating on the moves you escape from your worries and every-day pressures.
It's an antidote to depression and loneliness - Square dancing contains a social component that solitary fitness endeavours do not. It is very tactile, and friendly which contributes to self esteem and a positive outlook.
Rehabilitation - When recovering from heart or knee surgery square dancing is a positive alternative to aerobic dancing or jogging.
Laughter - Square dancing is full of fun - laughter is the best medicine!
"Square Dancing is Fun and Friendship set to music"
Dance Your Way To Health
Exercise can be fun too. Try adding dancing to your fitness routine.
Some of the most active, healthy and interesting seniors I have ever met are found several nights a week doing a "do-sa-do" or "allemande left" in boots and frilly skirts. What are these people doing that keeps them so active? For these active seniors, Square Dancing is the answer.
Square dancing is an activity that promotes healthy living in a variety of ways. It is great exercise. It is mentally stimulating; to graduate from a mainstream class (the first level) you will have learned about 60 different steps. Dancing is also a great social activity. What else can you do for 2 hours that expends as much energy as a 3 mile hike, makes you forget the worries of the day, and helps you make new friends.
You should be able to find a Square Dance club close to where you live. There are active groups in all 50 states and in many countries around the world. Most clubs sponsor lessons or are affiliated with clubs that offers lessons. This is also a great activity if you travel. Most clubs love to have visitors join them. You can make friends around the world.
If you are a single man you will usually find many willing partners. Single women often have a harder time finding partners because of the great difference in life expectancy but even that should not keep you from dancing. Many women learn both spots so they can keep dancing no matter what.
One excuse I have heard for not taking up square dancing is the elaborate clothing that is worn. Traditionally women wear a dress or dress/skirt combination with a petticoat that makes the skirt really stand out. I'll admit that I was reluctant at first to wear those "puffy skirts" but have actually come to enjoy them. It is fun to dress up once in a while
Along with square dancing many seniors also enjoy, line dancing, country dancing and round dancing. Whatever your preference the point is to get up, get going and get moving.
See you in a square!
Square Dancing is Healthy
"Bow to your partner, bow to your corner, circle left, allemande left ... swing and promenade home." In squares of eight across the country, Americans from senior-citizen age on down are linking arms, sashaying, and "do-si-doing" themselves to longer, healthier, and happier lives. They're having a blast and also lowering their risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer, age-related memory loss, osteoporosis, and depression.
Good for Body and Mind With all its moving,twisting, and turning, square dancing provides more than the daily dose of heart- and bone-healthy physical activity. Remembering all the calls -- from "do-si-do" to 'alemand' -- keeps the mind sharp, potentially staving off age-related memory loss, experts say. And the companionship that regular square dancing offers is an antidote to depression and loneliness, a statement confirmed by square-dancing advocates everywhere.
Take Larry McKinley, a 62-year-old who has been square dancing for 30-plus years with his wife, Sue -- who, incidentally, he met at a square dance. "We do it as often as we can, maybe five or six times a week," he tells us. "The listening -- and executing the commands -- takes deep concentration. The twisting and turning are not too hard on you, but give your body the exercise that it needs," he says. McKinley's club, the London Bridge Square Dance Club of Lake Havasu, Ariz., has 80 members, and the average age of a member is 75. "We recently graduated an 84-year-old," he says. "Graduated," in square-dancing terms, means the student has earned a Mainstream dance level.
There are four levels of square dancing, McKinley tells us. There's Mainstream, then there's Plus, followed by the more professional, exhibition-levels, A-1 and A-2. McKinley is a Plus-level square dancer. "It's very easy once you learn," he says. "Years ago, I was getting a divorce and didn't want to be a bump on a barstool." That's when he went to his first dance and got hooked. "It's just so much fun. Square dancing is setting friendship to music," he says. "It's having a place to get up and go in the evening where you can work up a good tired and a good sweat."
'If You Can Walk, You Can Square Dance' McKinley knows what he's talking about. Square dancing contributes to a more healthy and independent lifestyle, says Lewis Maharam, MD, a sports medicine specialist in New York City and president of the Greater New York Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. "Anything that keeps you active will keep you healthier and feeling younger. In most cases if you can walk, you can square dance, but it's good advice to talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen," says Maharam, also medical director of the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon® in San Diego, the Country Music Marathon (tm), and the New York City Marathon. "Any weight-bearing exercise, including square dancing, is a major benefit as one ages," he says. Weight-bearing exercise improves bone health and thus may help stave off the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis. "Square dancing also helps you with the feeling of where you are in space and with coordination, and this may reduce falls and chances for fractures," says Maharam. "Regular square dancing may boost endurance, and being able to tolerate longer bouts of moving faster may result in improved cardiac function as the heart, a muscle, can become more efficient if trained. Square dancing can be considered a type of cross training, which helps to offset the muscle loss and strength loss typically associated with normal aging." A Social Form of Exercise The physical benefits of square dancing are impressive, to be sure, but don't discount the social payoff, says Jerry Reed of Coca, Fla. "The primary benefit [of square dancing] is the social interaction between people," says Reed, executive director of CALLERLAB, the international association of square-dance callers, with 2,000 members worldwide. "Most of the activities that people do these days are individual, such as golfing, tennis, and bowling," he says. "Square dancing is kind of unique in that it involves touching hands -- we turn, we swing, and that seems to bring us closer together." And the touching in itself can be beneficial to health, according to studies conducted at the Touch Research Institute in Miami, which showed that regular touching can reduce stress and depression and enhance immune system function. What to Expect "A typical evening is about two hours long and in that time we dance six 'tips,' " Reed says. A tip includes a "hash calling" -- where the caller calls out some moves, which the dancers execute in smooth, choreographed routines -- and a "singing call," which can include all types of square-dance moves timed to fit popular songs. On any given evening, dancers will twirl across the floor to the music of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Road," the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive," Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money," as well as songs by the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Reed calls about four dances a week. Today's square dancing is hipper than what most people see in movies, he says, and more therapeutic than you might think. "It takes your mind off of the day-to-day problems," he says. "All those other worries and thoughts disappear when you are dancing." Ready to Sashay Your Way to Fitness? You say you're tempted, but not sure if you've got what it takes? Don't underestimate yourself, says Reed. "Square dancing is not as complex as it looks, he says. "We just learn one move at a time and go from there." So what's stopping you from joining in all the fun? Square dance clubs are popping up all across the world, and they want you. Ask at your local community center or check your local Yellow Pages for information on square dancing clubs and events in your neighborhood.