Gary Ferrer, dance teacher, recommends shaking dancing at least one hour a day or three times a week
There is nothing like dancing at least three times a week to stay healthy in body and soul, says Gary Ferrer, master of zumba, dance and folk dance.
"The ideal would be to dance one hour a day to see the benefits, but if you can't, at least, you have to do it three times a week," says Gary who has his dance studio in San Bernardino, California.
When dancing is practiced regularly, the first benefit is physical. “People with obesity lose weight. It was my turn to see some who have lost up to 80 pounds ”,
However, he mentions that when overweight people start taking dance classes hoping to lose weight, they always clarify that it is not magic, and they have to be constant to see the results.
"The most important thing is that with the practice of zumba or dancing, people start feeling better and healthier," says the teacher.
Gary teaches dance and buzzes to people of all ages. “I have students 60 years of age or older, 30, 15 and 8 years old. Many of them come with cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. The dance helps them improve their levels. ”
Survivor of a meningitis that almost killed him in 2016, Gary, now 27, was legally blind after the illness, but says he found a depression therapy at the dance that came after leaving the hospital.
"The doctors took me with antidepressants, but the dance made me leave them," he says.
In response to overcoming the challenges, Gary created a folk dance group in San Bernardino composed of Hispanic boys and girls; and then he opened his own dance studio.
“When you are dancing you don't know the time. You forget everything. You cast out bad thoughts and depression, ”he adds.
To this we must add that music makes the heart happy. "A dance class is fun, it makes you sweat, it motivates you, it relaxes you and you socialize."
In addition to everything, he says that dancing is good for memory because you have to learn the steps.
In short, he says based on his own experience, that dancing is the best antidepressant, the best medicine against obesity without taking anything, it helps in memory and self-esteem.
"It gives you a lot of confidence in yourself," he says.
Gary recommends to those who cannot afford dance classes, to look for a community center where they offer them for free.
“If that is not possible, look on the Internet for sites like YouTube dance classes; or make your own music selection and start dancing, ”he says.
Currently, he says, there is no excuse for not moving the body, dancing and taking advantage of all its benefits, especially among our Latino community that has so much diabetes and obesity.
