A recent study out of Northeastern University (just up the road from here, in Boston) makes a point that I harp on a lot: you can go most of the way toward meeting your fitness needs without any gym membership, without any fancy equipment, and without leaving your home.
In the study, researchers asked people to dance for five minutes. Importantly, these were not trained dancers, and they were not given any specific instructions on how to dance. Some people danced with music playing in the background, while others danced in silence. Some danced formal choreographed moves, and others just made it up. People danced to hip-hop, jazz, classical, rock, country, house, disco, or whatever else they enjoyed.
The researchers found that pretty much everybody – regardless of age, experience, or how they chose to dance – got their heart rate up to a level that would be expected to bring significant health benefits. And while they just had the participants dance for five minutes, the point of the study was a “proof of concept”: namely that if you dance, however you do it, you can get into the “zone” of activity that promotes cardiovascular fitness.
So, if you are currently a couch potato and are feeling stuck about how to get more active, simply set aside 20-30 minutes every day to dance in the comfort of your own living room. Put on whatever music you enjoy, and dance however you like. Feel free to invite friends over, or to dance in private with the shades drawn so that your neighbors never know. In a few months, you will be in much better shape than you are now.
Don’t let the fitness industry fool you: the “barrier to entry” for getting into better shape really is that low.
