Did you dance up a storm on New Year’s Eve? Good for you, says the Association of Mature American Citizens. Keep it up because it’s good for you, especially if you are a member of the senior set.
British investigators at the University of Southampton found that ballroom dancing helped patients with Parkinson’s Disease become more sure-footed after taking up ballroom dancing. The illness is prevalent among seniors and so the researchers concluded that it can help even healthy individuals in old age.
“Dancing involves turning and stepping to a rhythmical beat from the music, which can help to improve their mobility. The principles behind the dancing – people have to move their feet, turn their bodies and take big steps – were carefully chosen to enhance what clinicians are doing during rehabilitation,” said Professor Ann Ashburn, who headed up the study.
The Tango tops the list of dances with benefits, according to other scientists.
