By Debra Staton, Wellness Coordinator for the Arkansas Health Network

February is American Heart Month, which makes it a perfect time to focus on heart health. You can reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes by dancing.

Have you ever heard someone say they can’t dance because they have no rhythm? Well, turns out, you don’t have to possess the quality of rhythm to move. So, do it for your heart and start moving those arms and legs. Follow your heart—or in this case, follow your feet! Nobody’s watching, and if they are, that’s okay.

There are so many benefits of dancing for your heart:

High blood pressure: By dancing, you are increasing your level of activity and can help prevent high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease.

Exercise: Dancing is exercise, and you are strengthening your bones and muscles. Remember, your heart is a muscle and the more you work it, the stronger it gets.

Arteries: Dancing is a cardiovascular exercise that increases the number of blood vessels, which helps with circulation.

Risk factors: Lack of exercise is considered a controllable risk factor. Dancing is a creative form of exercise.

Tension: Lower your stress and tension levels. Dancing can aid in reducing the amount of cortisol (the hormone that is associated with stress) your brain produces. Stress and tension may increase your risk for heart disease.

Dancing is great fun and feels good to the soul as well as the total body.