I remember watching my Dad do some exercises in the middle of our living room when I was small. And he used to take us on bike rides after dinner. But I have never been one for “traditional” exercising; especially alone.
But I have always loved to dance and move around. In college I was in a percussion ensemble and the director was a stickler for standing still like a statue when performing; no swaying to the beat. Needless to say, he was always on me because I couldn’t keep still. I didn’t last very long…
But, I love to dance! Music starts playing, I start moving. I realized one day that it was an unconscious effort…an automatic reflex.
Dancing is a full on form of exercise. Professional dancers have to have some strong stamina in order to perform on stage for several minutes at a time. Athletes have to be in great shape to perform their given skill, but their stamina does not require any real length.
I remember watching an episode of “Fame” where the school board came to the School of the Arts where dance was a standard. They determined that the students needed a gym and physical education classes.
A challenge was issued where the local football stars had to join one of the dance classes to prove that the dancers were in a sense in better shape than the athletes. The football players lasted less than a minute while the dancers hadn’t even broken a sweat. The School of the Arts proved their point and the order for the gym and physical education classes was rescinded.
To me, dancing is not just exercise but fun and a form of expression.
It would be a wonderful thing to have enough money in the budget to take classes and learn more dances…and all the physical benefits thereof.