It’s December and for many of us there might be one or two ‘Christmas &/or New Years Eve parties’ to attend. No doubt they will include some food & drink, which could possibly put the healthy eating plan on hold for the night/weekend/week/month but….to balance out the indulgence there may also be the opportunity to throw some shapes on the dance floor or twerk around the kitchen island – depending on where your party is!

Dancing has so many benefits, even if it’s done with little coordination and finesse, the calories burned still count, the release of stress is priceless and the muscle toning benefits can often be felt for several days after a good night out, reminding you you actually did a work out whilst enjoying yourself – even if you can’t fully remember it!! Wink wink.

Dancing doesn’t have to be saved just for special occasions either – I regularly have a good ‘shock out’ in my living room along with my favourite tunes. Having a good skip about the house is great for releasing endorphins and personally I find it far more fun than pounding the pavement running, I mean its unlikely you’ll suddenly start punching the air whilst jogging through the park (unless you’re Rocky!) without getting a few curious looks, yet you can do that with absolute abandon when listening to ‘The eye of the tiger’ in you’re own hallway, and hey, who hasn’t fancied themselves doing the Paso Doble around the lounge after watching Strictly on a Saturday night!

If you’d prefer a more structured dance class there are so many styles to choose, from salsa to street dance, adult ballet to Capoeira (A traditional Brazillian martial art disguised as dance) or you could join one of the many dance inspired fitness classes such as clubbercise and Zumba.

However you choose to dance, whether it’s at a party, in the club, your front room, fitness studio or dance class – do it like nobody’s watching!

– This article has been published in the December edition of Life Magazines – http://www.lifemagazines.co.uk