Dance off the extra calories in UAE

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Dance off the extra calories in UAE

Dubai - Thirty minutes of choreography, for example, can help you burn anywhere between 130 and 250 calories.

By Saman Haziq

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Published: Fri 8 Nov 2019, 8:31 PM

Last updated: Fri 8 Nov 2019, 10:38 PM

Working out shouldn't feel like a chore. This is why dance-inspired exercises - ranging from bhangra, ballet to hip hop and Zumba - have been gaining popularity, a fitness expert has said.
"The thing about dance as a form of fitness is that it makes working out a fun activity.
Thirty minutes of choreography, for example, can help you burn anywhere between 130 and 250 calories, even without making you realise that you've exerted some effort," said Vishakha Verma, who runs Vishakha's, a dance and music training institute in Al Nahda, Dubai.
"It simply ups your happiness factor which is why it is effective both physically and mentally."
For the last 11 years, Verma has been helping people of determination finding their groove, and she has seen "miraculous changes".
"I have students with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and vision and hearing impairments but, when they dance, they are able to express themselves in ways no one can imagine. Dance is a form of therapy for the determined ones," she said.
One of the students she won't ever forget is 25-year-old Vaishnavi. "Vaishnavi comes to me to learn the Indian classical dance kathak. She has a severe form of cerebral palsy and she is wheelchair-bound.
"It was hard for her to move her limbs as her movement was very restricted. But to the surprise of the doctors, after six months of training in Kathak dance, she has now performed stage shows sitting in her wheelchair. "Her arms are now able to go up and down. She is even able to make some movements with her feet. Doctors are shocked at the fact that more than physiotherapy, dancing has helped her."
Verma said that when most people exercise, they are forced to do so because of either weight issues or some other pressure.
"They put loud music so they can push themselves to start exercising. But since dance is done out of passion, it is therapeutic."
The dedicated dance teacher has been training a lot of other children and adults, too.
saman@khaleejtimes.com


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