I will admit that this Southern Baptist girl hasn’t done much dancing in her time. It’s not that I don’t like dancing; I’ve just never had many opportunities to dance. There was my senior prom, for which my date (now my hubby) and I learned to shag, but beyond that we have never spent too much time in ballrooms.
With the era of X-Box and PlayStation, you no longer need a fancy dress and a ballroom to dance. You can dance right in your living room with your kids, and it’s fun! The simple act of playing “Dance, Dance, Revolution” with your kids covers several of my previous “Tips to a Happier You” from this blog series. Dancing is exercise, of course, so that covers my “Get Moving” tip, and if your family’s dancing ability is like mine, there will be no need for “Laughter Aerobics!”
My kids love to dance. Miranda, in particular, loves any dance that is goofy. She is definitely not a Waltz/Tango kinda girl, but more of the Chicken Dance/Apache type. There is an old sitcom, “Friends” in which a nerdy brother and sister get to appear on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and they decide the only way to get the camera on them is to do “the routine,” a dance they made up in the middle school. Miranda talked Trevor into learning “the routine” with her. I can’t tell you the hours they have spent laughing and recording themselves doing “the routine.” So this past Christmas, David and I decided we would learn the routine and record it to play for the kids on Christmas morning. I could not believe the fun we had trying to learn that stupid dance and recording it! Not only did we get lots of laughter out of it, but the kids got quite a laugh on Christmas morning as well!
Dancing has been shown in studies to lower stress and depression. Not everyone likes the “sciency” reasons that dancing helps with depression, so here’s a link to my Delicious stack with articles that give you the sciency stuff if you’re interested.
And of course, dancing is biblical. Read today’s prescription verse from Ecclesiastes. And how many times does David dance before the Lord? He was definitely a man with a heart for God.
So this week’s tip to a happier you is to dance. Pull out the Dance Revolution cd for your X-Box and get dancing with your family. You’ll exercise and bond with your kids; you’ll not only boost your mood, but you’ll be doing the same for your whole family! I promise once everyone gets involved, y’all will have a ball!
Just to get you motivated, Here’s “the routine” from friends:
With a few bribes for Miranda, I talked her into letting me post her and Trevor’s version of “the routine.” I know they’re my kids, but I loved it. I hope you enjoy it because I have to do her kitchen chores for a week and give her four foot rubs after work!
Enjoy…
If David wouldn’t divorce me, I’d show you our versions of “the routine.” The laughter alone would be enough to boost anyone’s mood!
So dance. Be sure to laugh at yourself—it’s a necessity if you’re a Baptist like me and never really learned to dance! And by all means, dance like no one is watching…
From my heart,
Celeste
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