15 Minutes of Cardio Dance to Start My Day!
What if I started the day in a good mood and in good shape with cardio dance? This complete activity consists of dancing to rhythmic music by linking exercises and movements like choreography. To make this fun discipline part of my routine, I’m setting myself a 21-day challenge with a few basic steps to get me started. Let’s dance!
Cardio Dance: My Good Mood Routine in the Morning
Dancing is good for my morale, and also for my health. To exercise without even feeling like I’m making an effort, I start the day by dancing to my favourite music!
With 15 minutes of cardio dancing every morning, I meet my exercise quota without even noticing it, and I’m in a good mood! Working out in the morning has several advantages:
- My body temperature rises, which helps me to wake up better and to be alert more quickly.
- By starting the day by taking care of myself, I feel proud of myself. I pay more attention to maintaining healthy habits: drinking enough fluids, having a well-deserved breakfast, eating a balanced diet, sleeping well, etc.
- After a good night’s sleep, I’m full of energy: I’m more likely to be motivated to exercise than after a busy day – even more so if it involves dancing and having fun!
- Some studies show that training in the morning helps you to gain stamina and get your body used to burning fat reserves for energy.
- Even if my schedule is tight, moving my alarm clock forward by 30 minutes is enough to fit this energising session into my schedule!
The Benefits of Cardio Dance
The benefits of cardio dance are varied:
- I improve my flexibility.
- I work on my balance and posture and improve the coordination of my movements.
- I am doing something for my health, including preventing cardiovascular disease and improving my breathing.
- I exercise and burn calories.
- I’m working on my memory and mental alertness by learning choreography.
- I fight against stress.
By adding a simple 15-minute cardio dance session every morning to my daily routine, I am doing something for my health, well-being and morale!
Setting Up My 21-Day Dance Challenge
Cardio dance is a recent discipline inspired by stretching, aerobics and modern dance movements. The trendiest version at the moment is Zumba, which is often practised indoors in group sessions with an infectiously good mood. I can follow Zumba sessions from home, thanks to videos available on social networks or in the iFit® library, for example. To get off to a good start in cardio dance, I learn a few steps and integrate them into a 21-day challenge!
Some Basic Cardio Dance Steps
Cardio dance moves work all muscle groups. Here are some ideas to get me started:
Movements on one beat:
- 1 walking step
- 1 running stride
- Legs apart, tap one foot to the right or the left
- Raise one knee
- Switch from one foot to the other while jumping
- With legs apart, rotate the pelvis
Movements on 2 beats:
- Supporting the front of the feet, rotate the heels to the right, then to the left
- Tap the heel of one foot on the ground, then bring that foot towards the other
- Kick forward or to the side and then bring the foot to the ground
- Take a chassé (sashay) step
Movements on 4 beats:
- Do a full turn in 4 counts
- Move one foot forward, then the other, and then back to join your feet together in two steps
- Cross the right foot in front of the left foot, then move the left foot backwards, then bring the right foot back to the starting position, and move the left foot forward
- Move one foot forward, then the other, move one foot back, and then the other
Arm movements:
- Swing the forearms from side to side on each beat
- Raise the shoulders and clap your hands
- Move one elbow forward and then the other
- Additional moves
I can put together my own routines to the rhythm of the music and even add in my favourite muscle-strengthening moves. The main thing is to move and feel good!
My Challenge: 21 Days of Cardio Dance in the Morning
To get inspiration and find trainer-prepared sessions, I follow the most motivational influencers and channels on social networks:
- Sessions by Pamela Reif, German Instagrammer and Youtuber (@pamela_rf)
- Madfit’s workouts on Youtube or Instagram (@madfit.ig)
- The POPSUGAR Fitness Youtube channel
- Various other instructors and sessions
I build up a playlist of about ten different songs with slight variations in speed during the same piece to exercise at a constant rhythm: electro, Latin, or rock. Everything is possible!
