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Add samba and music to your daily routine

11.12.14 |

How does music influence your health?

In the Habits of Health system, I talk about the six S’s as ways to increase your activity and energy expenditure on a day-to-day basis without dedicated exercise. The 6th S, designated Samba, describes moving to the music and dancing as a great way to boost your activity levels throughout the day. By moving and grooving a little while you perform your daily activities, you can positively impact your body in dramatic ways!

Beyond the accumulation of NEAT points, dancing will help you burn calories, strengthen muscles, and brighten your mood.
Of course, dancing usually requires some music to set the beat, and music also lends itself to a unique set of health benefits on its own.

Let’s take a look at how you can add more samba and music to your daily routine.

1. Add music to your workout routine

Many of my clients and friends turn on their iPod and crank up some tunes while they work out, and I personally endorse this decision.

Music, as an ergogenic aid—an element outside your body that boosts physical or mental performance—can take your workout to the next level by amplifying brain arousal. By supplementing your exercise routine with music, you’re stimulating brain and body, creating an overall healthier being in the process.

The next time you go for a walk or hit the gym, bring your iPod with you. I think you’ll like the results.

2. Chores don’t have to be boring!

Dance while you perform your daily chores!

You don’t have to recreate the famous “Risky Business” scene in your house, but if you dance while vacuuming, cleaning up, or gathering the trash, you’ll burn calories and improve your overall mood.

It might seem silly at first, but the health benefits of dancing around the house are very real, both mentally and physically!

Try it out, and let me know how it makes you feel.

3. Go dancing!

This is the most obvious way to add more dancing to your daily routine, yet very few of us actually enroll in a dance class.

By taking up dancing formally, you’ll add a new hobby to your life, and you’ll guarantee yourself a calorie-burning, fat-shredding evening at least once a week (and potentially more if you really fall in love with the art form!).

You’ll open yourself to a new network of friends and health enthusiasts, and you’ll create health while doing so.

How much do you dance during a given week? How does music motivate you?