Many people are obsessed with watching Dancing With the Stars each season. The dancing, the celebrities, the music, and even the sarcastic remarks by the judges are all very entertaining. While some of the celebrities were not in perfect shape, you may have noticed that all of the professional dancers had so much as an ounce of fat on their bodies. Their bodies are all toned, lean and muscular. Ballroom dancing provides a real workout and is excellent as a physical fitness program.

It may look like some ballroom dancing is just a slow, easy dance around the ballroom floor, but there are quite a few ballroom dances that are quite active. With kicks, stomps, bends and twirls, ballroom dancing can be quite a workout.

A lot of people who want to work out and get fit hate gyms. It’s pretty intimidating if you’re a bit out of shape to go to a gym with all those fitness fanatics with perfect, sculpted bodies. If it’s a really busy gym, you probably have to wait for the machines that you want to use, also. Ballroom dancing not only provides a great workout, but it’s fun and something you and a partner or spouse can do together. If you’re one of those people who just can’t find a workout routine or physical activity that you enjoy, you should consider ballroom dancing.

You can burn as much fat and calories by ballroom dancing as you can doing a workout at the gym, if not more. The Foxtrot or Waltz are an easy way to burn about 200 calories with little effort. You could compare it to a brisk walk or 30 minutes on the elliptical. Dances with a faster pace, such as the Jive or Paso Doble can easily burn up 400 calories or more, bringing it up to the level of an intense step aerobics class.

A big advantage that ballroom dancing has over exercises like crunches or walking on a treadmill is that you’re getting a whole body workout as opposed to just working out certain parts of your body. Ballroom dancing uses all of the major muscles and you’ll probably see faster results with ballroom dancing than going to a gym.

If you sign up for a dance class solo, you’ll most likely be paired with a partner if you don’t already have one. It’s a great way to meet people with similar interests and socialize also. An added benefit is that dancing is fun and you’re more likely to dance longer than you would workout at a gym. Is it time for you to trade your sweaty old gym shoes for some dancing shoes?