Dancing for Heart Health

Friday morning: my coffee is brewing and the fresh air is pulling through my apartment, so I pop on my headphones and take to my lounge floor. My laundry is swishing in my machine and the sunlight is reaching my plants. Soon it will be time to work, but for now, it is time to Jig, swish, sway, and tap my toes to the beat of the drum and bass pouring from my headphones.

Taking control of my heart heart health

I have for a while been taking my health into my own hands and trying to beat the generational curse of heart failure. I walk often and I make sure to eat well. There is often a time to go for checkups and make sure that my heart stays in good working order. I would like to live a long healthy life and watch my daughter grow and live easy as I get older. One can hope.

Dancing for steps

Sometimes I am unable to get out for a walk or am simply not in the mood. This is impossible to miss out on because my health has become so important to me. So I started dancing, slowly and peacefully to good music in my lounge. I make up my steps in what seems like less time. I am trying to get my ten thousand steps a day, up to fifteen thousand steps a day. This has been proving mildly challenging. It will get there though. Dancing in the mornings can hopefully be expanded to both mornings and evenings.

Take it easy

Always do these things within your own capability. Do not allow it to put your health at risk. That is not worth it. Moving easily and slowly but with purpose is probably one of the best pieces of advice I ever got. Some days I dance for one song and other days I dance for 5. You do what you can when and how you can.

You should not over-exert yourself and only dance and move within your capability. As always please check with your doctor, before starting anything new like this, make sure it is within your capability while keeping your heart safe.

Bringing joy

Dancing brings me joy! Please do not mistakenly think that I can dance. I have 2 left feet that do not communicate well with each other. So dancing often looks like unchoreographed steps all over and swinging of arms and shaking my head and tapping of my toes. I promise you that it looks exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.

Despite that, I find so much joy in dancing, moving my body, and allowing the music to flow and fill me with joy has changed so much for me. Starting my day with joy reminds me what to be grateful for, and gives me the space to just feel joy. This serves my mental health so well. Along with taking my mental health for a walk, I am also now taking my mental health dancing.