Can you dance your name? I can´t. But I can perfectly step out of the line. And I do this often! But – shame on me: I admit I have danced to german schlager music. But I don’t dance on the table very often. The most beautiful dancing for me? Dancing to metal music of course!
A visit at the disco as fitness training
I used to go to disco on Friday evenings. That was something like my therapy. Especially when Rage Against The Machine were singing “f*** you, I won`t do what you tell me“ I got even with all those who nettled me during past week. My visit at the UV (UnVerschämt, engl. barefaced – a disco near Karlsruhe´s main station) was also my workout. For a long time I could save the contribution fee for the fitness studio. Till 10:30 pm the entrance was free. And the time from 10:30 pm till 5:00 am is a long time to dance.
Attributes of physical fitness in relation to a disco visit
Dancing at the disco meets a lot of conditions of the physical fitness:
Stamina
Continuous dancing from 10:30 pm till 5 am is close to a marathon. It was not bad, that the music was sometimes not good during the night. So, there was some time for having a beer.
Power
Manowar comes to my mind. And Manowar songs were played quite often. But even without Manowar my muscles produced the maximum of power in the shortest time. Especially during headbanging.
Balance
As we are talking about headbanging right now. I think there´s a lot of balance neededfor headbanging. Circling the head while standing in the right position simultaneously is not easy. In particular if there had been some breaks before for enjoying a beer.
Coordination & Agility
Coordination is the spatiotemporal controll of complex motion patterns. Agility means quick change among these patterns. Especially progressive metal bands like to switch between different rhythms. Just banging, yet followed by a swinging move and again back to headbanging. Maybe mixed with something completely different. There we really need to pay attention…
Speed
Of course, Metallica was on the DJ´s list every Friday. And Trash Metal is really fast. For banging we must move our head in a really high speed.
Based on these conclusions we can say: A visit at the disco is a fitness training. Preconditionedthat you are dancing at the disco. But if you only weight-lift your beer glasses to your mouth, you have at least trained your upper arm muscles.
„Dancer´s“ High
When we´ve lost all the week´s aggressions on the dance floor and movethe whole night long, we will get into a flow. If there is a “Runner’s High”, let´s call it “Dancer´s High“. Because of the swinging motions, especially of the neck muscles, the level of serotonin increases and the concentration of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin in the blood decreases. Feelings of happiness are triggered. In addition to the beer breaks we accumulate happiness!
When we burn ourselves out, the body discharges endorphins. Endorphins are happiness hormones which are similar to morphine. They are released in our blood (circulation) if we are at or even beyond our limits.
Dancing is healthy
Besides the feelings of happiness, which are available totally legal and free of charge, dancing improves the posture and boosts the cardiovascular system as well as the metabolism.
We strengthen the muscles of our feet, legs and buttocks. Even if we are headbanging while standing still, our muscles are challenged and strengthened because of the static muscle work and counterbalancing. It effects also on the musculature of trunk, abs, back, chest and shoulder.
Really hard work during headbanging has to be done by the musculature of cervix and neck. The muscles switch from contraction to relaxation permanently. This change is called the dynamic work of muscles.
Unfortunately this tends to result in aching muscles, caused by microscopical small injuries. The muscle swells out painfully because of edema. How this can be treated or prevented, I will tell you some other time…
There is some dancing in my kitchen
Nowadays I go seldom at a disco. But I do dance at home. A short while ago I buyed myself a smartwatch. I got really astonished when the watch told me (while I was cooking to the music of Turmion Kätilöt in the background) that I was doing an “automatic workout”. Best of all: the watch motivated me (“Go on!“) and at the end of the “workout“ I got complimented (“Very good! A great workout.“)!
Of course, I love to dance at a metal concert. Like yesterday at „Im Wizemann“ in Stuttgart. With live disco music of Turmion Kätilöt! It is not only in favour to me. I also get totally legal drugs, the endorphins. It is also an esteem for the band, which is powering the stage to please us, the audience.
It is also possible to calm down
If you do not like it wild – practice Yoga. There is a position which is named “Dancer´s Pose“. That asana not only improves the balance of your body but also the balance of the your mind. “Natarajasana“ (nata= dancer & raja=king), as it is called in Sanskrit, shall lead to determination and strength of purpose. I personally like the Dancer´s Pose for stretching after running or walking. The strained muscles (mainly the quadriceps) are wonderfully extended.
Conclusion Of The Day
Dance! Especially step out of the line!
Dare to dance! May it be at the disco, at a concert or in your home kitchen. You do not only support your health but also get a totally legal and free state of intoxication.
Apart from that: If you do not have anybody who compliments you – buy yourself a smartwatch and cook to Turmion Kätilöt!
See you soon – stay tuned!
