We know exercise is great for us all whatever our age and Strictly Come Dancing has given us a new fondness for all things dance. So why not – Dance I mean.
Well I do and my model Wendy is my my dance teacher, which has prompted the Lets Dance story.
Wendys Story
I asked Wendy a few questions about her relationship with dance
1. Do you mind if I ask you your age? Apparently fifty four but that can’t be true I only feel thirty!
2. Can you tell me a bit about you and your dance background? I started dance at three years old and have never stopped. I don’t remember a time when I haven’t danced. I started with the Weymouth School of Ballet. As an older teenager I danced with Dorchester Ballet Club. I performed in a cabaret group with a very inspiring teacher Elaine Rockingham where as part of a group we won a national competition. In 2000 I started Tisbury Youth Dance Group and that continues today. Somewhere along the line I qualified as an Exercise to Music teacher and from that the Dancefit classes came.
3. How you feel continuing to dance helps you personally as you get older. I guess it’s a connection with my younger self. It’s a part of me that I have held on to throughout the changes in my life. I love the way that everything else in life feels irrelevant when I dance it’s like I enter another world or level. I find it very calming, and I now have the proof for this. Recently I had to monitor my blood pressure a number of times a day over a week, my lowest readings were after I’d done my dance classes! Of course, dance also brings the benefits that regular exercise brings eg cardiovascular fitness, strength, endurance flexibility and mobility but I never view it as exercise I just love how moving to music makes me feel and ‘Dancing makes me feel alive’
4. For someone who is not familiar with Dancefit how would you describe your dancefit class. Well despite being a fitness instructor I don’t actually enjoy doing fitness but love dancing so the emphasis on the class is to enjoy the dancing and the lucky part is that the fitness comes as part of it. After a gentle warm up we do about thirty minutes of dances in a variety of styles. We then do toning exercises for the whole body using weights and mats. The class ends with a couple of stretching tracks which are heavily influenced by yoga as I’m also a yoga teacher. It might feel a bit daunting for new people joining but playlists are repeated so you do get a chance to learn the dances and then perform them confidently and everything can be adapted to suit participants individual needs.
5. If you are local to Tisbury UK – How can people join your class? Dancefit class is Tuesday 7:05-8pm at Nadder Centre, Tisbury. You can drop in but to be certain of a place I recommend calling Nadder Centre (01722 434240) or book online. Free class passes are available if trying for the first time.
Wendys website is www.creative-fitness.co.uk
insta: @wendys_creative_fitness
The Benefits of Dance
I am a regular at Wendys Dancefit class it is totally adictive, in a good way. Ha ha! I love the fact that not only does it keep me fit, but good for the brain too. A social experience that however hard it is to motivate yourself to go on a cold winters night, you always feel 100% glad you did.
Dancing is a great form of exercise it will help keep you fit and healthy. Dancing regularly will help maintain strength and strong bones, improve posture and muscle strength, increase balance and co-ordination and will help relieve any stresses. It is fun and social so mood lifting too.
One of the really important things about dance as a chosen form of exercise especially as we age is the cognitive benefits.
A bit of info from Harvard News and Oxford Academic.
A 2003 study by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered that dance can decidedly improve brain health. The study investigated the effect leisure activities had on the risk of dementia in the elderly. The researchers looked at the effects of 11 different types of physical activity but found that only dance lowered participants’ risk of dementia. According to the researchers, dancing involves both a mental effort and social interaction and that this type of stimulation helped reduce the risk of dementia.
In a small study undertaken in 2012 by Minot State University, researchers found that Zumba improves mood and certain cognitive skills, such as visual recognition and decision-making. Other studies show that dance helps reduce stress, increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and helps develop new neural connections, especially in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition
There is an increasing interest in the use of dance to improve perceptual–motor function as part of rehabilitation for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Make up used
Face:
Chanel Vitalumiere foundation https://www.chanel.com/gb/makeup/p/161014/vitalumiere-radiant-moisture-rich-fluid-foundation/
Look Fab Forever Highlight pen https://www.lookfabulousforever.com/instant-bright-highlight
Look Fab Forever Powder https://www.lookfabulousforever.com/perfect-finish-translucent-pressed-powder
Charlotte Tilbury Contour and Highlight – https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/filmstar-bronze-and-glow
Bobbi Brown lip and cheek https://www.bobbibrown.co.uk/products/23824/makeup/face-and-cheek/cheeks
Eyes
Charlotte Tilbury Green / grey shadow https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/smokey-eyes-are-forever-duo
Bobbi Brown Eyeliner Gel https://www.bobbibrown.co.uk/product/2328/7785/makeup/eyes/eyeliner/long-wear-gel-eyeliner#/shade/Black_Ink
Look Fab Forever eye pencil Green https://www.lookfabulousforever.com/soft-eyeliner
L’Oreal mascara
Lips
Charlotte Tilbury lipstick Pillow Talk https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/matte-revolution-lipstick-pillowtalk-2
Look Fab forever lip liner https://www.lookfabulousforever.com/defining-lip-liner
I added a smidgen of natural lip gloss.
Photos; By me shot on my phone no filter just light
Make up and Hair: by me @karenlockyermua
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Workshops
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Karen helped us all to look lovely and feel good about ourselves. It was great fun.
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