How Much Exercise Do You Get When You Dance?

Dance is a workout as well as an art form, but the number of calories you burn per class isn’t always clearly advertised. According to Harvard Medical School, ballet and the twist will burn calories better than most other forms of dance, while the waltz and foxtrot won’t do as much for your waistline. Every minute of dance counts toward your weekly exercise goal. Even if class seems too hard or intimidating, keep your body moving to rake in the exercise time.

  1. Calories

    • The calories you burn while dancing depend on your weight. According to Harvard Medical School, a 125-pound person burns 90 calories in 30 minutes of slow dancing, 165 calories while ballroom dancing and 180 calories while fast dancing. If you weigh 155 pounds, you burn 112 calories for slow, 205 for medium and 223 for 30 minutes of fast dancing. And if you weigh in at 185 pounds, you can burn between 133 and 266 calories in a half hour of dancing, depending on the intensity.

    Length

    • Most dance classes are an hour long or more. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity each week. Just three dance classes a week will surpass this goal. The CDC also says that 10-minute increments of activity count: A vigorous lunch-break dance party or a few songs from a dance video game will go toward your weekly total. If your preferred dance style is high-intensity or vigorous, the CDC states you only need 75 minutes of it per week to reap the same benefits.

    Heart rate

    • Elevating your heart rate to your target range is key for weight loss and effective exercise. Some styles of dance may be fun, but may not be enough of a workout if weight loss is your goal. For a vigorous workout from dance, your heart rate should be at 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. In this zone you will burn calories and lose weight most effectively. When dancing and your heart rate is between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, you are doing a moderate workout. To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220.

    Effort

    • Dance can be a great aerobic workout choice, as long as you constantly move throughout class. The effort you put in during a dance class dictates your results. Marking the moves in the back of the room doesn’t burn the same calories as the people who dance their hearts out in front of the mirrors. To get the most exercise out of your dance class, dance along with the instructor while she is teaching the steps instead of standing still.