Grueling trips to the gym or punishing exercise regimens are not necessary to support physical and mental health into old age. While research shows that fitness -- both mental and physical -- progressively declines with age, there is good news: Studies also indicate that there are effective antidotes to forestall or diminish these declines -- and all we may need to do is dance. A close association has been found between physical fitness and cognitive performance in elderly people. Physical fitness can help older adults maintain their independence and enjoy a healthy lifestyle throughout their later years. Young and old alike can reap the benefits of exercise through dance, enjoying good music, good company, self-expression -- and some great moves to show for it.
No one wants forgetfulness or confusion to be an inevitable or irreversible consequence of aging. Fortunately, with dance, we can enhance our mental fitness, according to research published in “Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience” in 2013. It showed that age-related changes in cognition are treatable. Comparing a group of healthy elderly people who participated in a dance classes for one hour each week for six months to a control group who did not participate in the classes, researchers found positive effects in multiple areas for the dancers, including cognition, motor performance, reaction times, posture and tactile tests. Study participants who were part of the dancing group also said they felt better than those in the control group.
Balance and Fall Prevention
The benefits of dance are not limited to certain styles, so whether you're inclined to take up salsa, jazz, ballet or ballroom, various types of dance contribute to positive changes in fitness for the elderly. One study that evaluated the physical and mental fitness of elderly adults participating in a modified jazz dance classes indicated significant increases in balance. Published in the “Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners,” these researchers stressed that the results have important implications for fall prevention. In addition to jazz dance, researchers found indications of decreased fall risk for participants in Lebed Method dance, as indicated in a 2010 study published in “Nursing Administration Quarterly."
Staying fit as long as possible is a lifelong goal for many people. Even if we've relinquished our quest for six-pack abs long ago, studies published in the journals “Gerontologist” and “Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics” both demonstrate the positive effects of dancing in fitness for the elderly. One group of study participants, who completed 12 weeks of aerobic low-impact dance, improved significantly in functional fitness components including cardiorespiratory endurance, strength endurance, body agility, flexibility and body fat, as well as balance. Another group of study participants who attended 23 sessions of dance over 12 weeks demonstrated a significant difference in six categories, including resting heart rate, endurance and timed walking. Clearly, the benefits of dance are numerous.
In addition to looking good and staying strong, we all want to feel good as we age. Research indicates that dance also helps older adults with psychological wellness. The “American Journal of Dance Therapy” published a study that involved 60 elderly Brazilians who participated in one year of ballroom dance classes. In conjunction with these classes, participants improved in five categories of self-reported measures including straightforward fun, perceived health benefits, cultural connections, good memories and social opportunities. Reflecting upon these results, the researchers suggest that dance creates a culture of inclusion among the elderly and improves their quality of life. Moving to the beat can help beat the blues.
- Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience: Superior Sensory, Motor, and Cognitive Performance in Elderly Individuals With Multi-Year Dancing Activities
- Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience: Six Months of Dance Intervention Enhances Postural, Sensorimotor, and Cognitive Performance In Elderly Without Affecting Cardio-Respiratory Functions
- Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners: The Effect of Modified Jazz Dance On Balance, Cognition, and Mood In Older Adults
- Nursing Administration Quarterly: Dance-based Therapy In A Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly: An Integrative Approach to Decrease Fall Risk
- Gerontologist: Effect of Low-impact Aerobic Dance On the Functional Fitness of Elderly Women
- Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics: Effects of Dance On Physical and Psychological Well-Being In Older Persons
- American Journal of Dance Therapy: Ballroom Dance As Therapy for the Elderly in Brazil
Cara Murray started writing professionally in 2002. Her essays have been featured on WRNI, Rhode Island's National Public Radio affiliate. Murray holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Brown University and a Master of Arts in environmental policy from the University of Rhode Island.