Want to look slim and elegant? Are exercise and dieting not your cup of tea? If yes, then you must definitely try your hand at dancing.

Dance workouts are becoming popular these days. There are many forms of dance that can help in reducing weight. It is a fantastic form of exercise and is effective in burning calories. Regular exercise might become boring and monotonous and hence dancing appears as a pleasing and fun option. However, you have to choose the right type of dance depending upon your body structure, strength and stamina.

1. Freestyle

This dance form enables you to move freely without bothering about the dance steps or body movements. Apart from causing weight loss, it also makes your body more flexible. This dance form can be performed on any type of loud music and you can increase your pace by dancing anyway you like. It should be practiced every day for 30 minutes to lose weight.

2. Hip Hop

Hip-hop is an urban, street form of dance that is most popular in nightclubs. The quick succession of movements involved in this dance exercises the entire body. It is a high energy workout that is good for both beginners and veterans. Dancing while watching a video or at a club for an hour will enable you to burn 250 calories.

3. Zumba

Zumba incorporates salsa, rumba, merengue and hip hop moves to cause movement thus giving you a cardio workout. Zumba classes are offered by many chain gyms across the country and aim to make people enjoy while working out simultaneously. No partner is needed for this type of dance. Zumba classes are also offered on DVD. For best results, Zumba workout should be done at least 2 to 3 days a week.

4. Cabaret/Belly Dancing

This is an exotic art form which helps tone problem areas like hips, back, and abs. Also known as “raks sharki”, this form involves slow and controlled isometric movements that help to maintain flexibility and improve circulation.  Shaking the belly or lower body burns calories and helps shape up your buttocks. An hour of belly dancing can burn up to 300 calories. This can be practiced by watching videos or joining special dance classes offered by gyms and dance studios. Cabaret increases the flexibility and fitness of your body.

5. Salsa

This is a Latin American dance form has recently gained immense popularity in nightclubs and dance studios. It has drawn inspiration from the dance styles of combia, bomba and merengue music among others. Salsa basically consists of a pattern of six steps  danced over eight counts of music along with several turns and is danced side to side. An hour of salsa dance steps causes you to burn an impressive 420 calories. Hence, it is a good choice for a weight loss program.

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BY M. DIVYA SRI