National Dance Day Playlist

Welcome to the 2nd annual National Dance Day! As part of today's celebration, I am posting some of my favorite songs about dance to get all of us motivated. (Of course, I'm ALWAYS motivated to dance!!!) Put on some of these tunes...then get up and move!!!

"You Should Be Dancing" - Bee Gees

"Just Dance" - Lady Gaga

"I Hope You Dance" - Lee Ann Womack

"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" - C & C Music Factory

"On The Floor" - Jennifer Lopez/Pitbull

"Dancing on the Ceiling" - Lionel Richie

"Ballroom Blitz" - Sweet

"Boogie Wonderland" - Earth, Wind & Fire

"Flashdance (What a Feeling)" - Irene Cara

"Last Dance" - Donna Summer

"Dancing Queen" - ABBA

"All She Wants to Do is Dance" - Don Henley

"Dance the Night Away" - Van Halen

"You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'" - Leo Sayer

"Let's Face the Music and Dance" - Nat King Cole

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" - Whitney Houston

"Till The World Ends" - Britney Spears

"Please Don't Stop the Music" - Rihanna

Even if you just turn on the radio and dance around the room, start dancing. It's such a fun form of cardio, you won't even feel like you're exercising...but you are! Happy National Dance Day!!!

Not Just on National Dance Day...EVERYDAY!!!

Saturday was National Dance Day...what did you do to celebrate? My son and I danced along to the Hairspray movie, to honor the fact that size, race, and other factors do not matter in dancing. It's for everyone, in whatever style you prefer. I also pulled out one of my new dance DVD's and started learning the moves, because I can't get enough dancing!

Dancing itself is a celebration of life. It lets you show your joys, and helps you work through your sorrows and other tricky emotions. There is nothing that you cannot express through dance. As a writer I use words to express myself, but there are time when words alone fail to capture how I feel. When I dance, I come alive and live completely in the moment. When I watch others dance, the beauty and honesty they portray pulses through me and takes me through even more emotions. It is a moving and cleansing experience...one I could never live without.

Check out the amazing dancers of So You Think You Can Dance, and you will never be the same. Every week is a new and exciting experience; make sure you have plenty of kleenex on hand. And don't be afraid to get up and move yourself...watch Dance Your Ass Off and be inspired by people of all sizes who learn new dances every week and totally rock it! Dancing is not just for one day a year...dance every day!!!

It's Doesn't Have to Be a Marathon...Just Get Moving!!!

*photo courtesy of Junonia.

If you watch a certain weight loss reality show, you may think that the only way to get the pounds off is to immediately jump into a full-fledged boot camp type workout. More power to you if you can do it this way without getting hurt, but the majority of us are not built to withstand this much pressure on our bodies without bringing on trauma or injury. Seeing someone rushed to the hospital might make for supposed "good" TV drama...but it's not fun for the person in danger and it is not worth risking your life for. Most people do NOT start their fitness programs with a 26 mile bike ride or climbing a mountain.

If you have not exercised in a long time, you need to move into it gradually. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to start out with a brisk walk around the neighborhood...or even a slow stroll if you find yourself out of breath and need to work up to a faster pace. Swimming and yoga are easier on the joints, and you may want to start there if your body is not ready for the pressure of pounding the pavement. I have also found Pilates helpful in strengthening my body, and I will elaborate more on that in another post.

The main idea is to get moving in some way. Exercise is good for your body and mind, whether or not you lose pounds because of it. Chances are you will lose some weight as your body burns more fuel, but what's important is treating your body well, not what size you end up at. Don't expect to be able to run a marathon right away. Do what you can and enjoy the feeling of movement.

Tomorrow is National Dance Day...and I encourage all of you to get up and dance, no matter your size, fitness level, or level of dance experience. Just feel the joy of expressing yourself, and get moving!!!