Epic Dances in Your Room: The Ultimate Weight Loss Hack!
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Hey there, my fitness-seeking comrades! After our motivational leg day training quotes post last week, let’s switch gears and talk about cardio and aerobics. One of my all-time favorite at-home workouts: Dancing!
“Is dance even a workout?”
You might ask.
100% YES.
1. Dancing is a calorie burn ninja. It’s stealthy in a way that you are having so much fun, it barely feels like a workout, but you burn calories.
2. Dancing is a great way to work out your entire body. Instead of focusing on specific muscle groups like what a traditional cardio workout does, dancing is an invitation to your whole body.
3. There are benefits to the brain and mental health too! According to this 2022 research article, dance stimulates the communication of different parts of the brain. It improves “memory, empathy, and emotional intelligence, while reducing stress.”
Dancing at home counts
“What’s so great about dancing at home instead of doing cardio at the gym“? You might ask.
1. Convenient with easier access. You don’t need to worry about what to wear, fighting for parking spots, or wrestling with the gym crowd for the last elliptical during peak hours! All you need is the internet and a click of a play button.
2. You decide the amount of time and what you feel like at that moment. Instead of limiting yourself to a dance class offered by the gym, you get to decide what feels good to you on a particular day.
Somedays, when I am high energy, I want something longer, more intense, and fast-paced. Sometimes, when I have lower power, I opt for something shorter with fewer jump movements.
3. Freedom in self-expression. The great thing about dancing in your room is being as expressive or groovy as you like. You get to sweat, have fun, and burn calories. Who doesn’t want that?
4. Avoid awkward socializing. I occasionally enjoy in-person group classes, but sometimes the pre-or after-classes small talk might be a bit too much. With home dance workouts, you can skip all that and get right into the action!
Today let’s cover a few types of dance you can do in the comfort of your room.
I will share my experience with a few dance workouts I’ve tested out in my living room, duration from short to long. I’ll touch on what they are like, minutes of dancing, number of calories burned, complexity level, enjoyment level, etc.
The best thing is that all of them can be found on Youtube!
Right before we jump in, here are things to note here:
- Below are based on my own experience with the workouts. Your calories burned will depend on your age, gender, amount of physical activity, and body composition.
- The videos covered below are just a tiny tip of the iceberg. If you like one creator, explore their other videos with different durations, levels, and styles.
Dance Styles For Calorie Burning
1. 10 Min Belly Dance Workout (Perfect for a quick burn)
According to her Youtube bio, Leilah Issac is a professional belly dancer, personal trainer, and fitness instructor. She understands that gyms are not for everyone, so she found a better way, belly dancing, to help people get fit and feel confident.
The moment I hit play, I was immediately captivated by the energy of Leilah and the music. If you happen to have a hip skirt scarf or tassel at home, it’ll instantly elevate the dance session experience.
Don’t underestimate this short video. This quick workout will get your heart rate up fast.
Pro:
- Leilah is very good at explaining the movements, cueing, and leading the moves
- Movements build nicely on top of one another
- Music has great continuity
- Looking elegant and feeling sexy while working out
Con:
- You will not be wearing shoes with belly dance. It might get a bit rough on the feet for some people who might not be used to belly dancing or dancing bare feet
Workout duration: ~11mins
Calories burned: 64 cal
Average heart rate: 144BPM
2. JUNGDAYEON’S HOME FIT (Perfect for apartments or late night workout)
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxHTFHoLUfM
Jung Da-Yeon (known as “momjjang ajumma” or “mom with a striking future”) is a Korean fitness and diet guru. Having lost 20kg in just three months, she shot to stardom after publishing her diet books and workout videos. She teaches dance or aerobic exercise-inspired routines called “figurerobics.”
Her older figurerobics videos tend to be repetitive in movements, but I enjoyed her more recent “home fit” workouts.
It still targets specific areas of the body with strengthening exercises. I like that I can do this even if it’s late at night when I want to get more movements in.
There is no heavy jumping and you don’t need much space, but it still gets some burn on.
Pro:
- Movements are easy to follow
- Includes warmup and cooldown
- The workout description states that it’ll be able to “correct your body shape and burn body fat effectively.”
Con:
- Dancers/performers might not be as high-energy as the other ones on this list
- The verbal cue is in Korean. You will need to rely on subtitles
Workout duration: ~19mins
Calories burned: 120 cal
Average heart rate: 144BPM
3. 30-Minute Follow-Along Dance Cardio (Perfect all-rounded workout)
This was my favorite so far out of all the ones listed here. According to the video description, this beginner-friendly 30-minute workout is led by choreographer and content creator Sheela Awe from PopSugar Fitness. You will experience a “90s-throwback vibe”, “a variety of hip hop moves,” and “a little salsa.”
The choreography is modern and stylish. As the title suggests, the moves were easy to follow. It makes you feel like you are on a dance floor and sexy and strong.
I love the aesthetics of the video and the magenta dance studio vibe. The choreography has just the right amount of repetition to give you time to get used to the moves.
There was a good mix of high-intensity moves and a slower, flowy style of dance. I love that Sheela encourages us to “add your flavor, add your sauce.”
Pro:
- Great warmup and cooldown included
- Great selections of energetic and favorite music
- Three dancers with different vibes can inspire your own
- Unique studio vibe and energy
- Great pace and smooth transition between songs
Con:
- Honestly really hard to think of any. It makes me want to try out their other Dance FitSugar workouts
Workout duration: ~30mins
Calories burned: 196 cal
Average heart rate: 140BPM
4. Non-Stop Zumba Dance Workout (Perfect for someone who has been dancing for a while)
I was immediately hooked the first time I took a Zumba class at the local gym. The music was sizzling, featuring a mix of Latin-style and other dance songs. It is a fun way to work out.
Many Zumba dance workouts I found on Youtube have a ton of repetitive movements which I am not a massive fan of. But I enjoyed this Zumba dance workout by CDO DUO/Work Out Like a Dancer.
Don’t be shunned from the title. Even though it says non-stop, there are small gaps (<10 seconds) between the dance routines where you can get a quick sip of water.
I am not going to lie; there were a couple of moments I couldn’t catch up the first time doing this workout. But nobody was watching; I kept moving anyway.
I was drenched and breathing heavily. Before I realized I had melted away 250+ calories.
Pro:
- Great music selections and varieties
- The choreography is professional and sophisticated
- I love the energy of both dancers. Really keep you going
- I love the inclusion of warmup
Con:
- Dance moves change quite often within a song. There’s a bit of a learning curve for first-timers. Tips: since it’s an at-home workout, don’t worry too much about the exact dance steps. Keep moving and just dance
- It doesn’t include a cooldown. Tips: you can easily search for cooldown after dancing on Youtube
- No verbal cues, mainly rely on the visuals
Workout duration: ~39mins
Calories burned: 267 cal
Average heart rate: 138BPM
Gears to Groove
To ensure the highest level of enjoyment and comfort, here are some gears I would recommend to groove with:
- Comfortable shoes: aside from belly dancing, you’ll need some supportive, comfortable shoes to groove to the beat, especially when it’s high-intensity and fast-paced. I enjoy New Balance’s Nergize and Adidas’ Ultraboost. Aside from looking amazing, they are very flexible and super light, and I feel comfortable dancing in them.
- Workout Floor: if you have a hardwood floor to dance on, then congrats, you can skip this. If you have carpet, live in an apartment building, and want to minimize as much disturbance as possible, this workout floor might be a good choice.
- Water Bottle: when you are dancing and moving fast, you are losing a lot of water; staying hydrated is essential. I would recommend a water bottle that can hold ample water and easily reach for and sip on. This way, you won’t have to deal with mis-screwing caps and spillage.
- Fitness Tracker: If you already use an iPhone, Apple Watch is a no-brainer. It tracks Dancing as a category for workouts. I love that it monitors and tracks my workout duration, active calories burned, and my heart rate zones. It can also estimate my cardio fitness by measuring VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen my body can consume during exercise). All in all, it is just super gratifying to see the hard work I’ve put in.
“So, can I lose weight by dancing in my room?”
You might ask.
I am inclined to say yes just based on my own experience. In 7 days, I have done three types of dance workouts from above, and my weight dropped by 1.4 lbs. Throughout those seven days, I ate what I would typically and maintained a calorie deficit with the dance workouts and strength training at home. I’ll keep you updated on my weight loss progress in the longer term.
One of my weight loss goals is to keep an active lifestyle through continuous movements with a non-dieting approach. I hope to stay consistent with the regimen, aiming to hit 2x strength training and at least 3x dance workouts per week while eating normally.
(As a foodie, being able to eat what I enjoy and treat myself once a week is huge for me).
And if you are on your journey of losing weight or reaching your fitness goals, I am here rooting and cheering for you! I hope you found this post helpful or entertaining.
There you have it, my fellow mind & body enthusiasts. These are my suggestions for epic forms of dance you can do in your room for weight loss, working out your entire body with your body weight.
I hope by now you are convinced of the transformative power of a full-body workout through dance.
Now time for me to turn the questions around to you:
Which type of dance are you going to try?
What Youtube dance workout videos you’ve tried and found effective?
Do you like this kind of content where I test out things and share experiences?
What other mind, body, or self-care content might interest you?
Feel free to comment below or shoot me a message!