Ceilidh in aid of St. Luke’s
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Scottish
dancing 'good for fitness'
Source : Press
Association
Published on 09 August 2010 09:00 AM
A leading university
has said that as long as you don't tread on a sword, Scottish dancing could be
key to keeping fit in old age.
People who take part in the
famous and energetic style of dancing north of the border were found to have
better levels of fitness than people who did other forms of
exercises, a study concluded.
The research was led by an
expert in drama and dance at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, called Dr Paul
Dougall.
He said: "It's generally
assumed that dancing is good exercise but we wanted to measure whether Scottish
country dancing has specific health benefits."
The study focused on older women
and had 70 participants - 35 women aged between 60 and 85 who practised
Scottish country dancing and 35 in the same age range who took part in other
forms of exercise.
The comparison between two
groups who were active in different types of exercise suggests that country
dancing is particularly effective at keeping people fit.
Dr Susan Dewhurst, an exercise physiologist from
the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, led assessments
of the participants' fitness.
She said: "We used
state-of-the-art equipment to give very precise measurements of muscle quality
and function.
"By studying participants
of various ages, we were able to build a comprehensive picture of the
considerable health benefits of Scottish country dancing."
Dr Dougall believes the
benefits are not just physical, and that the dances exercise the mind as well.
(Editor's note: Scottish Country Dancing does not
involve swords which are used in some Highland
dancing)
