Kicking off Stress: Dancing is the New Mantra

A woman's life is full of turmoil as they are always caught in the whirlpool of non-stop activity at house and outside. For a long time overweight women never felt the need to go to a gym, fetch themselves a trainer or even exercise to keep themselves fit. Doing household work was believed to be enough of an exercise for women.

But now women no longer excuse themselves from working out or going to parties and social functions. There was a time when dancing was a complete "no no" for every woman. They feared dancing. Dance was also considered to be some form of offence and believed to be a western influence. But now it is seen as a great stress buster. Most importantly, it has become a mantra of keep oneself fit and feel fashionable.

Television shows like the on-screen Saas-Bahu dancing and Saroj Khan's Nachle Ve have set an example for many household women. They have influenced many household women to learn free style dancing.

For free style dancing there are no particular rules. It's all about grooving to your favorite music. You have to just move your body to the hypnotic beats and rhythms. "Dance is now considered as a therapy. Through the appropriate dance threay they all can keep well but there are people who are not benefited as they have misused this therapy to keep themselves well" says Aruna Mohanty, noted Oddisi dancer

It has become a way to bring back zeal to life. It has become a medium of meeting new people and developing one's social circle. Instead of a tedious gym visit one can have loads of fun while dancing to the tunes of music. Dancing helps increase one's self esteem and also gives a positive outlook to life. Dancing also keeps women occupied when they have nothing to do. Women can present themselves well in parties if they know how dance. "Dance is an ongoing fashion. I feel excited and fresh after dancing. It helps me to stay fit and I don't feel tired anymore after work pressure" It also gives amazing glow to your skin which cannot be substituted by any cream or any moisturizer.

It is easier to be bogged down by stress-related diseases, starting from a common cold to a dangerous heart attack. The mantra is "shake your leg to stay fit". Most women give up on exercises, succumb to eating disorders, some hit the bottles and some rely on drugs and steroids. But dancing does not create pressures of any sort.

Dancing is also an exercise that is accepted by all age groups. Some people who hate doing yoga's or any form of workouts. For them dancing is the best option. "I don't like going out on walks so it's a better way of working out at home. I have lost weight". Many cultures promote dance as an anti- stressful form of keeping fit. When you are dancing to your favorite tune, we tend to grin and smile a lot which we usually don't do. It is also a merry-making process. Apart from all this, dancing with your children can also help one to build up good rapport and understanding.