Dance Workouts with a Difference

There are workouts and there are dance workouts. If going to the gym is your thing then you probably won't be too much into using affirmations with your exercises but I'd like to challenge that thought for a moment.

When you see people exercising in the gym, whether alone or in groups for aerobics or spinning classes, there's usually a vibrant and exciting atmosphere. The stereo or boom box is turned up full and some pumping music is motivating people to push that extra little bit harder to achieve their exercise goals. It's an admirable show of effort and the rewards are a healthy body and the mental reassurance that gives. Even the act of exercise and movement produces endorphins, one of nature's little miracles and puzzles... Creating a feeling of happiness produces endorphins and endorphins create a feeling of happiness! With just a little bit of tweaking you could maximize this situation to achieve a healthy body, mind and spirit.

Dance is one of life's great joys. Everybody has in some form enjoyed dancing at some point in their lives. Walking down the street with a spring in your step is a dance in its simplest form. The most ambitious dancers will learn a whole set of dances and compete with the spirit of the toughest and most disciplined of sports. But in its purest form, dancing is an expression of emotion manifested in movement.

Let's take a look at two forms of movement that express the two extremes of movement. Samba is a carnival dance that involves celebratory jiggling and shaking - Yoga is a series of meditative movements and postures that encourages quietness and peace of mind.

Affirmations are words or phrases that help us to feel better, motivate us in some way or clarify a goal we're trying to achieve. This can be achieved using a brain training program or some other daily routine at regular intervals. Whilst affirmations are traditionally associated with repeating prescribed words over and over, little attention is given to their combination with sounds or exercise. Yet to feel movement in our bodies is one of the most important factors in relieving stress, alleviating depression and generally improving health and fitness. Apart from the obvious benefits of muscle toning and improved stamina, once you start exercising regularly you start to become much more aware of your body and start to enjoy the way it moves.

A dance like Samba makes you feel this to the full and amplifies the experience with the heightened feeling that you're at a party - it is, after all, used in the carnival in Rio and when you see the dancers in the streets they're brimming over with the joy of the dance. The great thing about this dance and the experience is that, unlike a lot of other formal dances, this one you can do alone. You can join a class and learn in a social environment or if you're a little more self-conscious about learning in front of other people there are learn-at-home programs you can get online and practice on your own.

Going to the other extreme, if you're not so interested in partying to feel good and need some tranquility in your life then you can learn the Sun Salutations of Ashtanga Yoga. This is a serious mental and physical workout that involves repeating a set of 12 exercises either for a prescribed number of repetitions or for a set length of time. It takes some effort to learn the exercises to begin with but once you have the sequence in your head you will start to feel the benefits of increased agility almost immediately.

The important thing with all the above is that they need not be taken in isolation. Any form of movement is powerful when combined with words. In its simplest form you can choose a positive phrase that empowers you and just repeat it as you carry out the physical exercise. A typical phrase would be "I am affluent and successful". Make it positive and make it current. Your mind can't tell the difference between reality and make-believe. Convince your mind that the desired outcome already exists.

On the other hand you can choose to go a little deeper. It's possible to get inexpensive software that will allow you combine your favorite affirmations with any music of your choice. Then the affirmations play at a subliminal level whilst you exercise. Imagine the power of motivational upbeat music such as the party atmosphere of Samba and the effect of reprogramming your subconscious in that environment!

Or you could maintain more control over the affirmations and use some traditional mantras usually associated with Yoga. The benefits of these beautiful sounding Sanskrit phrases is that they're imbued with a mystical quality that enhances your exercise with its soothing tones.

The important thing is to use a set of words that are meaningful to you (even knowing the association of their meaning as in the mantras and sutras is enough) and do something that empowers you! Make sure you enjoy the whole activity and fill your head with positivity so that you don't get the chance to doubt your success.