SHALL WE DANCE

Do you get up and dance whenever the music invites you. Try it - Just for the fun of it. No need to be Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers; pretend. Swing and sway to a dreamy old song or Jitterbug to 'Tuxedo Junction.' Sweep about the room to a waltz - like the closing dance of 'Beauty and the Beast.' It feels great - and - studies have shown that dancing can be good for you physically, mentally and spiritually.

First, it seems we have better blood flow through our body and brain if we get up and move. A treadmill can do the job but moving to a bit of Salsa on the porch deck can, so I have read, influence brainwaves with more positive thoughts and energy. I can use a bit of that. So, just keep the music playing....it can cheer you up and keep you physically healthy, too.

Second, because my radio station plays all kinds of music throughout the day, I find myself keeping the beat as I vacuum or iron or brush the cat. While writing, I use music to think up and smooth out stories to tell them in a positive or interesting way. For serious stuff I listen to Mozart; for articles, letters and Blogs, I am inclined to listen to Kenny G, Celine Dion or popular classics. If the music has a beat - it is danceable! When my story is in trouble, I get up and dance around the office. Like magic, problem solved.

I am known to get a bit flamboyant moving in time to 'Whipped Cream' or 'Yellow Bird' especially when I'm home alone. I rumba, jitterbug and waltz around the house. I surprised (perhaps stunned is a better description) the heat-pump installer guy who walked in on my dancing one day. He jumped back from the doorway and hid. I kept right on dancing. I'm sure he thought I was a crazy woman having a fit. It was funny. Seriously, I have heard dancing, with a partner or without, is good exercise for a person's heart, muscles and thinking, so I'm going to keep on dancing as often as I can.

Being able to move to music on stage, on a dance floor or in the kitchen lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels. (I read that in an AARP magazine so it must be true.) Dancing can build immunity and stave off dementia. Since both of those unseen problems are unwanted, a dancer can feel s/he is doing the responsible thing for maintaining mental health.

We, you and I, can start a chain reaction by encouraging others, of all ages, to dance and be healthy. We will be contributing to a longer life as well as the physical, mental and spiritual welfare for our fellow man and woman. Just think of it, if we get everyone up and dancing, we (I) won't feel so foolish dancing alone..... If you need more encouragement, just Google 'Dance for Health' or http://www.aarp.org/danceforhealth.

So, my friends, turn up the music and dance, Dance, DANCE whenever the mood takes you. Which songs get you up and moving? What do you think of dancing your way to health? Tell me ... I'd like to know...