By Kristie Leong M.D.
Whether you’re looking for an activity for yourself or for your child, ballet offers many potential benefits for both body and mind. It’s a total body workout that requires both discipline and focus but is also quite enjoyable. Plus, ballet is usually taught in a group setting which gives you the opportunity to interact with other dancers. Here are some of the many benefits of ballet:
Ballet Benefit: Sculpts and Tones Your Body
The movements taught in ballet classes are designed to tone and firm muscles without developing bulk so you develop long and lean muscles as opposed to thick, bulky ones.
Ballet Benefit: Develops Poise and Body Awareness
When you take ballet lessons, you’re taught a series of simple exercises called the barre. These exercises are designed to help build poise and grace which are necessary traits that a successful ballerina must have. These exercises are repeated at each class to help build balance, strength, and poise.
Ballet Benefit: Helps Relieve Stress
When you perform ballet exercises and movements, it relaxes your mind and removes you from the cares of the world. Your focus shifts to concentrating on each movement and the placement of your legs and arms. Many people report they can actually feel their stress melt away when they focus on ballet.
Ballet Benefit: Promotes Creative Expression
Ballet is not simply a form of exercise, although it does provide many of the health benefits of exercise. It’s also a form of artistic expression. You interpret each dance movement in your own unique way and it becomes your own personal expression. This can be quite therapeutic for both mind and body.
Ballet Benefit: Promotes Flexibility
The movements of ballet are quite effective in promoting flexibility. Ballet uses muscles that are seldom used in other sports, giving you a total body flexibility workout.
Ballet Benefit: Strengthens the Back and Abdominal Muscles
Ballet is an excellent form of exercise to strengthen and develop the core muscles of your back and abdomen. This may result in less back pain and a flatter abdomen. Ballet participants often notice that their waistlines become more defined over time.
There are a multitude of ballet benefits you can enjoy by participating in ballet classes. If you’re no longer a child, there are a variety of classes being offered for adults that are designed specifically for the more mature participant. Why not see if these classes are being offered in your area so you can experience the phenomenal benefits of ballet?
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