LETTER: Square dancing provides health, mobility and exercise

Dear Editor:

Increasingly, the relationship between good health, mobility, and exercise is being emphasized.At all stages of life from childhood through to seniors; exercise is being recognized as the major factor that influences healthy and vibrant life-styles.

It is also noteworthy that despite this knowledge; finding an activity that can be normalized into one’s life-style to ensure that the exercise actually occurs is challenging.

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Often, we tend to go in spurts in finding an exercise program such as attending a gym, going for walks, taking up running, or swimming but are not able to sustain it because of its repetitiveness, because it is often a solitary activity, or because the demands of the exercise make it uncomfortable and unsustainable.

For those who may be facing these challenges to being active and working towards fitness and health, I would like to recommend getting involved with Square Dancing.

Popularized in the mid-20th century, square dancing is an activity that combines physical movement with music and provides an all-round form of exercise that includes mental attentiveness, memory exercise, listening skills, and the co-ordination of mental and physical aerobic exercise that is fun, allows for developing social relationships, and is sustainable because of the pleasure and rewards square dancing offers.

Square dancing does not require any advanced or technical dancing skills; if you can move you can dance.

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Square dancing incorporates all types of music from country and western to rock and roll, and is cued-dancing with a person who calls out the moves.

It is an activity that promotes health, mobility, is alcohol free, and very affordable. It can include the whole family and is suitable for anyone who is 10 years or above.

The Westsyde Squares Dance club of West Kelowna invites anyone interested in trying this fun and healthy recreation to a free dance session at the Westbank Lions Community Centre, at 2466 Main St., West Kelowna, on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. If you would like more information please phone Terry and Linda Green at 250-494-1406 or Bill and Bev Holland at 250-707-0750.

Terry Green

Westsyde Squares Dance Club

West Kelowna

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