Don't Be a Square --
Dance!
Do-Si-Do Fitness
WebMD Feature
In squares of
eight across the country, Americans from senior-citizen age on down are linking
arms, sashaying, and "do-si-doing" themselves to longer, healthier,
and happier lives. They're having a blast and also lowering their risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer, age-related memory loss, osteoporosis, and depression.
Good for Body and Mind
With
all its moving, twisting, and turning, square dancing provides more than the
daily dose of heart- and bone-healthy physical activity. Remembering all the
calls -- from "do-si-do" to 'alemand' -- keeps the mind sharp,
potentially staving off age-related memory loss, experts say. And the
companionship that regular square dancing offers is an antidote to depression
and loneliness, a statement confirmed by square-dancing advocates everywhere.
Take
Larry McKinley, a 62-year-old who has been square dancing for 30-plus years
with his wife, Sue -- who, incidentally, he met at a square dance. "We do
it as often as we can, maybe five or six times a week," he tells WebMD.
"The
listening -- and executing the commands -- takes deep concentration. The
twisting and turning are not too hard on you, but give your body the exercise
that it needs," he says.
There
are four levels of square dancing, McKinley tells WebMD. There's Mainstream,
then there's Plus, followed by the more professional, exhibition-levels, A-1
and A-2. McKinley is a Plus-level square dancer.
"It's
very easy once you learn," he says. "Years ago, I was getting a
divorce and didn't want to be a bump on a barstool." That's when he went
to his first dance and got hooked.
"It's
just so much fun. Square dancing is setting friendship to music," he says.
"It's having a place to get up and go in the evening where you can work up
a good tired and a good sweat."
'If You Can Walk, You Can Square Dance'
McKinley
knows what he's talking about. Square dancing contributes to a more healthy and
independent lifestyle, says Lewis Maharam, MD, a sports medicine specialist in
New York City and president of the Greater New York Regional Chapter of the
American College of Sports Medicine.
"Anything
that keeps you active will keep you healthier and feeling younger. In most
cases if you can walk, you can square dance, but it's good advice to talk to
your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen," says Maharam, also
medical director of the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon® in San Diego, the
Country Music Marathon, and the New York City Marathon.
"Any
weight-bearing exercise, including square dancing, is a major benefit as one
ages," he says. Weight-bearing exercise improves bone health and thus may
help stave off the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis.
"Square
dancing also helps you with the feeling of where you are in space and with
coordination, and this may reduce falls and chances for fractures," says
Maharam. "Regular square dancing may boost endurance, and being able to
tolerate longer bouts of moving faster may result in improved cardiac function
as the heart, a muscle, can become more efficient if trained. Square dancing
can be considered a type of cross training, which helps to offset the muscle
loss and strength loss typically associated with normal aging."
A Social Form of Exercise
The
physical benefits of square dancing are impressive, to be sure, but don't
discount the social payoff, says Jerry Reed of Coca, Fla.
"The
primary benefit [of square dancing] is the social interaction between
people," says Reed, executive director of CALLERLAB, the international
association of square-dance callers, with 2,000 members worldwide.
"Most
of the activities that people do these days are individual, such as golfing,
tennis, and bowling," he says. "Square dancing is kind of unique in
that it involves touching hands -- we turn, we swing, and that seems to bring
us closer together."
And
the touching in itself can be beneficial to health, according to studies
conducted at the Touch Research Institute in Miami, which showed that regular
touching can reduce stress and depression and enhance immune system function.
What to Expect
"A
typical evening is about two hours long and in that time we dance six 'tips,'
" Reed says.
A
tip includes a "hash calling" -- where the caller calls out some
moves, which the dancers execute in smooth, choreographed routines -- and a
"singing call," which can include all types of square-dance moves
timed to fit popular songs. On any given evening, dancers will twirl across the
floor to the music of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Road," the
Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive," Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for
the Money," as well as songs by the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Reed
calls about four dances a week. Today's square dancing is hipper than what most
people see in movies, he says, and more therapeutic than you might think.
"It
takes your mind off of the day-to-day problems," he says. "All those
other worries and thoughts disappear when you are dancing."
Ready to Sashay Your Way to Fitness?
You
say you're tempted, but not sure if you've got what it takes? Don't
underestimate yourself, says Reed.
"Square
dancing is not as complex as it looks, he says. "We just learn one move at
a time and go from there."
So
what's stopping you from joining in all the fun? Square dance clubs are popping
up all across the world, and they want you. Ask at your local community center
or check your local Yellow Pages for information on square dancing clubs and
events in your neighborhood.