Bangalore: What better way of exercising can a person opt for than dance? Dance as a fitness exercise not only makes the body flexible but makes every muscle in the body move. It is an inexpensive and fun way to keep fit, helping one lose weight and to tone the muscles and helps inculcate grace and poise. Apart from the fitness freaks that enjoy lifting weights, dumbbells, running and stretching another way to fitness is the dance exercise. It helps burns calories, acts as a stress buster and a mental stimulator; it helps build muscle power and a healthy heart. All kinds of dances can help make anyone fit but the most well known dance exercises that one can take part in are:

Zumba: Zumba as a dance form has become more popular in the world of fitness lately. It can be described as a Latin inspired dance fitness program which incorporates choreography from a variety of dance styles. Some of the styles that Zumba uses include hip-hop, salsa, samba, meringue, mambo and martial arts. Unlike a typical dance class where counts are used, Zumba is a form where the class follows the music with repetitive steps. This form of exercise requires a lot of energy and the dance moves mainly work on the waist, hips and legs. The classes are designed for all levels of ability, including beginners. It is an exercise that puts a person in a great mood and is a good workout.

Hip-hop: It is a style of dance that originated from the USA but has become popular world-wide, and is a great way to keep fit. It is basically any style of dance that is primarily danced to hip-hop music including street dancing, breaking, locking and popping. The dance form is a great way to strengthen the abdominals and the choreography includes lots of hip, pelvic and waist rolling. The benefits of the dance form are that it strengthens the thighs, glutes, calves and other muscles in the legs and arms. It is also a cardio exercise that gets the heart pumping and the breathing rate up. Hip hop dance puts less of an impact of the feet and knees so one can use it as a new way of working out.