Hello from the middle of August!
Summer is beginning to wind down and I hope it’ll take the heat down with it.
Now that school is in full swing again, how are you taking care of yourself? I trust you are using some of the tools we’ve talked about over the past 32 weeks.
Here’s another small tool, easily stashed into the corner of our Self-Care Toolbox. It’s small but it’s oh-so-easy and lots of fun! Dance!
Yep. Dance. Dance with your spouse. Dance with your child. Dance with your friend. Dance with your pet. Dance with a pillow. Dance with yourself! Just dance! There’s no excuse to sit around and be sad or grumpy.
Put some music on. Make it lively or slow. Make it a salsa or tango. Country or classical. It doesn’t matter. Just any music will do if you enjoy it. Then, get up and move your feet, swing your hands, wiggle your hips and twirl around. It doesn’t matter if you can’t keep the beat. It doesn’t matter if you don’t do “real” dance steps. You don’t have to be like Elvis. And it doesn’t even matter if you look silly (in fact, Elvis looks pretty silly in this picture!). Just loosen up and enjoy yourself!
Moving encourages deeper breathing and lubricates the joints. Getting extra oxygen strengthens the heart and lungs; it wakes up the brain and helps keep it young and agile. Moving increases endorphins in the brain. Moving also helps strengthen and tone up your muscles. It may even help us shed a few pounds, especially if our choice of music is lively. (And admit it, moving to fun music is much more fun than using those machines at the gym!!) Moving improves balance, which is especially important to maintain as we age. There are lots of good benefits to be had, all while having fun!
Now, of course, there’s lots of research about these and more benefits, but, for once, I won’t bore you. If you’re interested, please check it out. I’m keeping this short and sweet!
Need a suggestion to get you started? Pull up the You Tube video entitled, Every Praise, sung by Hezekiah Walker. That’ll get you moving, give you some good moves and get you praising the Lord as well! There are tons of videos and albums. Just take your pick and DANCE!
I hope you’ll try dancing as a way to relieve stress, put a little activity in your day and just plain have fun! It’s a good way to feel happy. A good way to take care of yourself.
Thanks for reading.
What do you think? Will you try dancing when you’re feeling down? How about when you are frustrated or discouraged? Please share your experience with dance. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Meanwhile, I hope you dance your way through the remainder of this week! Twirl!
Pathways and Portals 