Health -- Hey, Macarena! Dance Is Good For You

The final official act on the recent Democratic convention floor was a benediction from President Clinton's pastor at a Little Rock, Ark., church. But the last thing the Democrats actually did was a group Macarena.

Besides good fun, the American Physical Therapy Association actually endorses the Latin-beat dance craze as a "step to better health."

"You get the benefits of a basic workout using the arms, legs and back," said Sean Gallagher, director of Performing Arts Physical Therapy in New York. But Gallagher noted the Macarena lasts only a few minutes, so you would have to repeat the tune 10 times to achieve the 30 minutes of daily moderate activity recommended as a minimum exercise goal in the recent U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health.

The Macarena, like most dances, allows different levels of exertion, especially during the three jump and quarter-turn movements of the dance. Gallagher said other forms of dance offer similar health benefits. "Dancing improves your range of motion, endurance, aerobic capacity, flexibility and strength," he said.

Aerobic dancing is widely regarded as an efficient workout. A 130-pound woman will burn about 300 to 350 calories during a typical hour class. Sixty minutes of ballroom dancing will churn roughly 250 calories for a 190-pound man and 175 calories for a 120-pound woman. Country line dancing is another popular step now being incorporated into exercise classes. Nonetheless, burning calories is only part of the equation. The movement of dancing can be mentally therapeutic and even meditative - especially if you pursue a gentle movement discipline like tai chi or qi gong (pronounced "chee-gong").

"In our culture we judge slowness as something wrong," said Molly Vass, director of the Holistic Health Center/CK at Western Michigan University. "Slowness can be our most powerful teacher." Vass spoke at a recent National Wellness Conference at the University of Wisconsin. She said dancing or qi gong are a form of "active rest" favored by physiologists who recommend regular days off from the weight room or running trail.

"We can abuse our bodies in the name of wellness," said Vass. "We talk about controlling our body and `getting it in shape.' You need to ask how you can be gentler to your body, to support and watch it."

Qi gong is one alternative. It is a Chinese art form that emphasizes posture, breathing, movement, visualization and contemplation. The idea is to more fully circulate your body energy, also known as "qi" or "chi," through your system. A typical class includes exercises and movements for detoxifying noxious chi, gathering positive energy and redistributing it to needy parts of the body.

For example, one detoxifying exercise involves lining up the palms in front of your body at the hips, then raising them up to the chest coming together in a prayer position and "becoming conscious of your breathing," said Kathleen Gates, a Des Moines qi gong instructor.

One gathering exercise: Arms at your sides, completely relaxed, inhale as your arms raise upward with palms up; the torso rises gently and the tongue is placed on the roof of the mouth to control energy. As the arms go up, imagine they are being pulled by strings.

The redistributing exercises involve more movement but are easier to do than tai chi, a sub-form of qi gong. For an experienced student, this can simulate a standing meditation. "Most people find qi gong easier to follow," said Gates. "The moves are more repetitive."

Sort of like learning the Macarena instead of the tango.