Dance and Heart Failure PreventionBy Dr. Nelly StoyanovaYou probably wonder how dance and heart failure can relate. When it comes to heart health we all know the adage “Watch your diet and get some exercise.” It is even more important to stick to your diet and exercise plan if you suffer from heart failure. Easier said than done. The truth is that people lose their motivation pretty quickly and they stop going to the gym because cycling or walking on a treadmill can be very boring. As many as 70 percent of heart patients eventually drop out of traditional exercise programs.
The first group of 44 men and women exercised by cycling and walking on a treadmill three times a week for eight weeks. The second group of 44 people danced, alternating between slow five-minute waltzes and fast three-minute waltzes for 21 minutes, three times a week for eight weeks. The remaining 22 people did not exercise or dance. The results showed that only the groups that exercised and danced improved heart health. The dancers also reported improvement in sleep quality, mood, and sex drive, compared to the group that exercised. The researchers chose the waltz because it has “universal appeal” and is a good aerobic exercise. Dancing has other health benefits like improving balance, muscle tone and coordination. It also appears that the social interaction facilitates interpersonal sharing of emotions and promotes self-awareness and self-confidence that decrease anxiety and depression. The overall result is reduced overall stress. The combination of movement, social interaction, and fun may explain the better compliance with dancing than with traditional exercise training. From a medical stand point both dancing and aerobic exercise help heart failure patients to utilize oxygen more efficiently, reduce the oxygen demands, which translates in fewer episodes of shortness of breath typical for this condition, but the psychological benefits of dancing outweigh those of the conventional way of exercising. Waltz dancing may be considered in clinical practice as an alternative to aerobic exercise training (2). The research team concluded that in patients with stable chronic heart failure, waltz dancing (or any slow dancing) may be used in combination with traditional aerobic exercise or as an alternative to it for patients whose adherence to traditional programs is low and/or in those who prefer dancing to other forms of exercise(1). Copyright Dr. Nelly Stoyanova Reprint rights: You may repost any article written by Dr. Nelly Stoyanova as long as the article is left intact. Please include the author's bio and a clickable link to our site. Author's bio: Dr. Nelly Stoyanova is a physician, medical researcher and health behavior expert. She studies the effects of stress on heart disease, type 2 diabetes and sleep. Her website: Belly Fat, Stress and Baby Boomers (http://www.stress-fat-heart-solutions-for-boomers.com) evaluates sources of stress for people over 50 and provides great tips to balance your day-to-day stress and stay healthy. Turn your life around and benefit from her expertise. For individual guidance sessions or to schedule a public speaking event use the Contact page or email at drnstoyanova@gmail.com Reference: 1. Waltz Dancing in Patients With Chronic Heart FailureNew Form of Exercise Training, Romualdo Belardinelli, MD, FESC, Francesca Lacalaprice, PhD, Chiara Ventrella, PhD, Loretta Volpe, RN and Ernesto Faccenda, PT Circulation: Heart Failure. 2008; 1: 107-114 2. Ritter M, Low KG. Effects of dance/movement therapy: a meta-analysis. J Psychother. 1996; 23: 249–260. Dance and Heart Failure Related Articles:
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