Exercise can be fun and something you do with your partner and friends. Getting fit doesn’t necessarily have to happen in a gym, which means that you don’t have to be a fan of treadmills and weights in order to stay healthy.

One great way to work out and improve your fitness levels while enjoying yourself is to take up dance. Not only will this teach you a new skill — or skills if you choose to learn a few different types of dance — but it will allow you to make the most of a number of health benefits.

Increased endurance

The more you dance, the better your endurance levels will be. This means you’ll experience improved muscle strength and will be able to take part in longer and more intense dance sessions.

You’ll soon find that when you were getting out of breath or tired after a dance or two, after a few dance sessions you’ll be able to stay on your feet for longer. You’ll also be able to do more difficult dances as you learn more.

Weight management

If you’re trying to lose weight or stay at your current weight without gaining, exercise is key. While you can get some control over your weight through eating healthily, being active as well is important.

Dance is a great way to manage your weight as it burns a lot of calories through the different moves you’ll do. The more active the type of dance you choose, the more calories you’ll burn. However, more relaxed forms of dance — such as ballroom — are still effective.

Better muscle tone

You’ll find that dancing is a great way to improve muscle tone and strength as you’re constantly stretching and moving. Like yoga, dance results in better all-round muscle tone as it is a full body workout.

Improved balance

Dance is a great way to improve your balance and spatial awareness. This will happen over time and with minimal effort, as practicing dance will result in better balance naturally.

As you’re moving with other people in close proximity, you’ll start automatically using your peripheral vision and other senses to tell when other dances are close by. While you may have some accidents early on, soon enough you’ll avoid them without even trying.

Overall wellbeing

All exercise releases endorphins, which boost your mood, so you’ll experience that with dance as well. You’ll also find that stretching your muscles through dance will help your body feel more relaxed, making it a great way to unwind.

Dance can also improve mental wellbeing, helping you work out stress and feel a lot calmer. Learning a new skill is also likely to make you happier as you achieve new things and improve your moves.