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It’s Friendship Set To Music

For Physical & Mental Exercise, Plus Sociability.
Try Western Square Dancing.
It’s Friendship Set To Music

Are you interested in an activity that is drug and alcohol free and generally conducted in a smoke free environment. Where you can make many new friends and at the same time have fun, forget your troubles and get some exercise?

Modern Western Square Dancing may be just the activity you have been missing. According to a 1994 Mayo Clinic Health Letter

“dancing can burn as many calories as walking, swimming or riding a bicycle. During a half-hour of dancing you can burn between 200 and 400 calories. One factor that determines how many calories you’ll expend is the distance you travel. In, one study, researchers attached pedometers to square dancers and found that each person covered five miles in a single evening. Regular exercise can lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol profile. Experts typically recommend 30 – 40 minutes of continuous activity three or four times a week. Dancing may not provide all the conditioning you need, but it can help. The degree of cardiovascular conditioning depends on how vigorously you dance, how long you dance continuously, and how regularly you do it. The side to side movements of many dances strengthens your weight bearing bones (tibia, fibula and femur) and can help prevent or slow loss of bone mass (osteoporosis). If you’re recovering from heart or knee surgery, movement may be part of your rehabilitation. Dancing is a positive alternative to aerobic dancing or jogging. And finally, Square Dancing contains a social component that solitary fitness endeavors don’t. It gives you an opportunity to develop strong social ties that contribute to self-esteem and a positive outlook.

If your   doctor has advised you to start an aerobic exercise program, Square Dancing   can be a fun part of it.  Square Dancing enhances blood flow and gets   your heart and lungs working.  Just be sure to get your doctor’s   permission if you have a medical condition.

This pastime is a perfect way to forget your troubles, because it is virtually impossible to think of anything else while you square dance. This is because of the mental requirements of this activity. I feel sure you agree that keeping your mind sharp is essential in today’s world.
So what are these mental requirements? Let’s take a quick look.
Modern Western Square Dancing consists of layers, or levels of dance. At the bottom, where we all start, is Basic & Mainstream. There are 71 different movements at this level. I’ll try to define a movement later. Some dancers never advance beyond this level. The next level is called Plus and consists of 29 additional moves. That puts us at 100 movements some having nuances. Most Square Dancers achieve and dance at this level.

Before continuing up the ladder let me try defining what I call a move. It is simply a combination of arm, hand and or foot movement, and is known as a call. Foot movements are basically walking, preferably with a shuffling or sliding step. Each step normally takes one beat of music. A call can take anywhere from one beat to 32 beats or even more. The tough part requires that you execute any call without stopping to think how to do it. Occasionally, you may have to “stack” several calls in your mind and remember the order in which to execute them. Of course you are not dancing alone, seven other people are in your square and all must remember what to do.

Some clubs dance “APD” or all position. This makes it a little more difficult since the male and female requirements differ.

The next level up is Advanced. While there are two levels, A-1(46 calls) & A-2 (37calls), Advanced is usually considered to be one level APD.

If you want to go still higher there is Challenge level. You will learn more about that level just as soon as you master the 183 calls at any position.

If you can walk you can probably learn to Square Dance. It does take time and practice however. Of course it’s all called Square Dancing and whether its a dance, a workshop or class it provides some excellent mental and physical exercise.
Square Dancing will add ten years to your life, a surprising new study shows.

Dr. Arron Blackburn states “It’s clear that square dancing is the perfect exercise. It combines all positive aspects of intense physical exercise with none of the negative elements.” Dr. Blackburn said square dancing is a low impact activity requiring constant movement and quick directional changes that help keep the body in shape. The study was based on their physical examination which indicated that both female and male square dancers could expect to live well into their 80’s. Square dance movements raise heart rates like many good aerobic exercises should. All the quick changes of direction loosen and tone up the muscles–but not so severally as to cause injury. In square dancing, when you’re not moving, you’re clapping hands and tapping your feet, which all contributes to long term fitness. “You don’t see a lot of 55 year old basketball players, but that’s just the age when square dancers are hitting their peak”, Dr. Blackburn said.

 Letter from the Mayo Clinic and Article by Dr. Arron Blackburn.

Mayo clinic

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BENEFITS OF SQUARE DANCING

BENEFITS OF SQUARE DANCING 

LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

STRENGTHEN BONES

SLOW LOSS OF BONE MASS

LOW IMPACT AEROBICS

CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING

IMPROVE CHOLESTEROL PROFILE

STAY ACTIVE LONGER MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY

DANCE 3 TO 4 MILES PER EVENING WITHOUT EVEN NOTICING!
And
BURN 300 TO 800 CALORIES

YOU CAN’T THINK ABOUT THE DAY’S WORRIES WHEN YOU’RE LISTENING FOR THE CALLS

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Have you had your hug today?

Have You Had Your Hug Today? (Yellow Rock)
 
      Hugs and heart health
 

The side effects of this medicine are all good!

We all know a hug feels good, but what’s the connection between hugs and heart health?

…Well, it appears that human contact through hugs lowers blood pressure and reduces stress, which cuts the risk of heart disease. Hugs have also been shown to improve overall mood, increase nerve activity, and a host of other beneficial effects. Positive physical touch has an immediate anti-stress effect, slowing breathing and heart rate.

“A good hug speaks directly to your body and soul, making you feel loved and special,” says Mihalko Baczynski, a relationship coach.

“Hugging is all natural; it is organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, non-fattening, no carbohydrates, no preservatives, no artificial or genetically engineered ingredients, and 100% wholesome” says Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD.

Not only are hugs completely natural, they don’t cost anything either! Hugs are free! And best of all, the supply is endless.

Research proves connection between hugs and heart health

A University of North Carolina study showed that hugs increased levels of the hormone oxytocin and reduced blood pressure.

There is a scientific explanation for the seemingly magical qualities of a hug that researchers uncovered. Each time we hug, we increase the level of oxytocin in the blood. This hormone triggers a “caring” or “bonding” response in both men and women (oxytocin is most well known for stimulating contractions of the uterus during labor and the release of milk during breast-feeding).

Several animal studies lend support to this idea; for example, oxytocin levels rise and blood pressure falls in rats when their bellies are stroked.

A daily dose of oxytocin from hugging can help protect us from heart disease. And while it works for both genders, women seem to be the greater benefactors as exhibited by the second phase of the University of North Carolina study.

The North Carolina study also reinforced research findings that support from a partner, in this case a hug from a loved one, can have beneficial effects on heart health.

University of Toronto psychiatrist Brian Baker who studies how marriage affects men’s hearts says, “Male heart patients with good marriages stay healthier than do those living with conflict.” One can presume that men and women in a good marriage probably hug more than those in conflict.

http://www.smart-heart-living.com/hugs-and-heart.html

 
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