London: Put on your dancing shoes, take your partner by the hand, move towards the dance floor swinging and swirling with rhythm.
Dancing would not just offer a jovial time but also a treatment to the growing number of obese people fighting to shed the extra flab.
Medical experts suggest that ballroom dancing is one of the best forms of cerebral and aerobic exercise and can be extremely beneficial for a person's fitness, Dr Alan Maryon-Davis said.
Besides physical fitness, exercise also helps mental health sufferers in their fight against depression, Matt Birks of mental health department at Derby University said.
The challenge of learning the dance steps or thinking about the next sequence did not leave room to worry about other problems, The Independent quoted experts as saying.
Schools have also recognised the benefits of getting children moving to music to combat the nation's burgeoning obesity crisis.
“Ballroom dancing had the added benefit of being in a social activity, unlike the gym, and gives a chance for working people to catch up with old friends or make new contacts,'' Stephen Field of
the Royal College said.
Ballroom dancing has its origins in England in the late 18th century, among the upper classes but it become popular among the working classes only in the early 20th century. During the last century, it gained increasing popularity across Europe, the US and Asia.
“I have seen a lot of success within ethnic minority groups, especially Muslim women, who tend to do very little exercise but are happy to attend dance classes, especially those specifically for their cultural group,'' Dr Maryon-Davis added.
There is just one word of caution. There has been a rise in ankle and foot injuries since ballroom took off.
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