With the pressures of job and social obligations tugging us every which way, it's more and more difficult to find time for exercise. Maybe that's why Americans are struggling with their weight and health more than ever.

It's no secret that moderate exercise, and sensible eating habits, are the key to remaining trim and fit. However, the thought of spending thirty minutes on a treadmill, or jogging around the block five times is out of the question for many of us. Dancing works like a stress and tension reducer. For people on a hectic schedule it can become a passion that helps you improve your attitude and increase your confidence in both social and business situations.

That's what makes dance the ideal exercise! After all, dancing is a mild aerobic workout, minus the boring part! When you take dance lessons, you make exercise a fun and enjoyable social event, every night of the week. Your dance "work out" takes place with pleasant music and everyone's in a good mood. It's Fun.

Consider these dance facts:

Dance contributes to increased personal confidence.
Olympic athletes often include dance in their training to sharpen their control,agility, speed and balance.
Dance is considered to be one of the top five physical activities, out of 60 studied.
Dance contributes to good posture and body alignment.
Dancing encourages gentle stretching.
Dance increases your flexibility and stamina.
As an aerobic exercise, dance benefits your cardiovascular system as you swing and sway from hips to shoulders.
Some doctors recommend thirty minutes of dance, three times per week.

Ever since the International Olympic Committee gave ballroom dancing provisional recognition, it has been getting a lot of attention as a true athletic activity. One look at the fitness level and physiques of professional ballroom competitors, trainers and dance teachers is proof of its virtues.

"Ballroom dance is a rigorous activity that uses the larger muscle groups, and is usually done over the course of an hour, or an entire evening," said George B. Theiss, President of Arthur Murray International. "It's most frequently compared to ice dancing, and no one would question the athletic ability of an ice skater. Since we work without gliding across ice, it's possible that a competitive ballroom dancer might even be in better shape than a figure skater.

Dancing stimulates the brain and is useful in many applications, including memory enhancement. It is widely known that Dancing has delayed symptoms pertaining to Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia and helped remedy those afflicted. Hundreds of studies have been conducted and proven that the act of dance alone, stimulates the brain and enhances memory capacity.  Yuki Noguchi states in his article for the Washington Post, "those who danced frequently - three or four times a week - showed 76 percent less incidence of dementia than those who danced only once a week or not at all". Such a widely acknowledged therapy after the onset of disease, imagine what it can do for a healthy mind. Below are a few useful articles and links from reliable sources in regards to Dance as Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia:

Dancing Delays Dementia-American Institute of Physics

Leisure Activites and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly-New England Journal of Medicine

How Dancing Can Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease-San Francisco Swing.com

Dance Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease -Purshouse & Mukaetova-Ladinska

Might Dancing Delay Dementia?-The Washington Post

Tango Therapy-PRI's The World

Dance gives Dementia Sufferers New Life (Video)-Star Tribune

Many people turn to ballroom dance when more traditional exercise programs fall by the wayside, either because of injuries or sheer boredom. Ballroom dance is a low impact activity. This makes it accessible to people of at any age or fitness level. With less emphasis on "going for the burn" and more on having fun; the weight loss, improved circulation and aerobic conditioning emerges as a wonderful side effect. The Arthur Murray Dance Studio near you is only a phone call away... put some fitness in your life and call now!