Dance your way to fitness

Dance has become a way of staying fit and healthy for the young and old alike

Come April and with examinations over, schools and colleges have closed for the long summer vacation. Students are looking at various options to kill time and spend their vacation wisely. And dance has become a way of life for the young and old alike, to remain healthy and fit. 

Panampilly Nagar has become one of the hotbeds of dance studios in Kochi. Many studios offer various dance forms like Zumba, Salsa, hip hop, contemporary and so on to young and old alike. "Zumba is a form of fitness, a fusion of aerobics and dance. It combines Reggae, Rumba, Carimba, Cha Cha…. It is performed to with Latin music and is a high-energy dance,” says Rajesh Raj, Zumba fitness expert. 

What makes these dance forms interesting is the fact that it has no age bar and one don’t need to have a talent for dancing. “Dance combined with aerobics is the new fitness mantra today,” says Harsha Thachery, who enrolled for Salsa and Zumba classes a month back at Sporty Beans. “It is an exciting, energising form that engenders weight loss, toning and fitness, all at the same time,” adds Raj. 

According to Amee Sampat, franchise owner, Sporty Beans, Kochi, fitness must start at a very young age. “Kids these days are glued to television and next generation ‘toys’ like tablets and ipads. Children as young as pre-schoolers need to be engaged in some physical activity or the other to get them out of the sedentary lifestyle. The idea is to engage them in a fitness activity in a fun way,” she adds. 

While Sporty Beans, is not so much into dancing, it is aimed at catching and training kids young. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and develops a lifelong passion for sports and games.Founded by Arunima Gupta and Maria Roy, The Floor, a dance studio in Panampilly Nagar offers weekly Zumba classes of 2 hours each. They also offer Salsa, hip hop, contemporary jazz and Indian contemporary dance classes during vacation.  For Deepa George, dance has become a way of life. “I enjoy dancing and if it can help me stay fit, there is nothing like it,” says George, a mother of two and a fitness freak. 

What are you waiting for? Put on your dancing shoes, get ready to groove and burn some fat!                                                                  

sherene.joseph@timesgroup.com