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A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPINNING: Instructor

Do I Really Get Some Exercise Out on the Dance Floor? I Do, I Do.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009; Page HE03

My mom hates exercise. Not just dislikes it, but avoids it as actively as someone who attempts to be as inactive as possible can.

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· Do I Really Get Some Exercise Out on the Dance Floor? I Do, I Do.

· Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. ET: Ask the MisFits

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPINNING: Instructor Willie Hendricken and student Rebecca Sheets demonstrate a step during a Latin ballroom dancing class. (By Richard A. Lipski -- The Washington Post)

So I was floored last week when the words "I'm sweating" -- as a result of actual muscle use -- came out of her mouth. Did I mention she was smiling? Nope, I wasn't dreaming. I was in the Chevy Chase Ballroom, a dance studio where she had dragged my dad, my fiance and me to learn a few basic steps in time for my wedding.

After an hour with instructor Willie Hendricken, his charming Irish brogue and a bit of fox trot and cha-cha, my mom had not only worked up some perspiration but had also begun reminiscing about the moves of her youth: We were treated once again to the story of how, as an exchange student from the Philly 'burbs in 1961, she introduced the kids of Lakewood, Colo., to the twist. She even talked about signing up for more classes.

That's the power of dance: You can exercise without thinking about exercising.

But it builds bones as well as any other weight-bearing activity, says Megan Richardson, an athletic trainer with the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. And the fact that ballroom takes two gives it a leg up over other forms of dance. Your arms aren't just raised up in the air, which has benefits of its own. But in correct positioning, you're also gripping your partner in what Richardson describes as "an isometric hold." That tension increases strength and adds an upper-body weight-bearing element to the movements. Plus, it gives you an added incentive to have a sturdy trunk. "If you're wobbly in your core, you're not going to be able to work with somebody else," Richardson adds.

As for calorie burn? Look at the contestants on "Dancing With the Stars," who have been raving for seasons about how the show has slimmed them down. (You can glimpse some of their physiques in person later this month when the DWTS Tour waltzes into Verizon Center.) Or pop in one of the new "Dance Body Beautiful" DVDs by ballroom's latest evangelist, Lisa Rinna, who says her body was "transformed" immediately by the training for the show. "I improved everything from posture to flexibility, and I was ripped. My abs had never looked like this," the 45-year-old actress raves, particularly crediting the vigorous hip shaking of Latin dance styles.

Granted, Rinna was practicing for a grueling six hours a day. But even an hour or two a week can result in some benefit, whether it's in improved coordination or a trimmer waistline. "You can work at it as any athlete would," says Angela Prince, the public relations director for USA Dance, a national organization of ballroom dancers. "The requirements are the same: mental and physical fitness, stamina, endurance, balance."

Take Hendricken's student Marisa Pawlewicz. The 41-year-old first dabbled with dancing four years ago because it was fun, but she has gotten really hooked on how it has made her stronger and aware of her body. "People have asked me if I've grown taller," she says. It's even served as an incentive to take on other forms of exercise: "I do yoga, mainly to try to keep up my flexibility for dancing."

Another Hedricken pupil, Mimi Tse, is a petite 60-year-old who has been dancing for 10 years. ("My husband and I wanted to learn the tango, and we thought it would take us the six weeks. We're still learning.") She credits it with controlling her scoliosis and reversing early stages of bone loss. "Just learning how to move with your partner is a form of weight training," she says.

Ladies have the trickier job of moving both backward and in heels, so they're probably burning more calories than their partners. But both sexes get a fitness boost as steps get increasingly complicated.

Ian Gillett, another Chevy Chase Ballroom instructor, adds that as dancers become more proficient, they use the advanced curving and swaying movements known as shaping, which make the performance more impressive and give the dancers a more demanding workout.

There's a reason, after all, that most dances last only a minute or so. "It's hard to go all-out longer than that," Hendricken says. And although they may look lithe and relaxed as they spin around the floor, advanced dancers are pushing themselves hard. "Even the slower dances," Tse adds. "I thought they'd be easier. But you have to exercise a lot more muscle control to maintain balance."

See? It's not just an inaugural ball, it's an opportunity for fitness training!

Richardson points out that ballroom dancing is easy on the joints, can be done at any age and trains the brain as well as the body. "You have to remember to reverse steps and change your orientation in space," she says. "It's great for memory and recall." Research has shown it may help to stave off dementia, Prince says.

One more thing: It also tends to stimulate confidence in social situations. Perhaps that's why Rinna's new ballroom body has her toying with the possibility of posing for Playboy again. (She did a pictorial 10 years ago.) "I'm in much better shape now than I was when I was 18," she says.

So, Mom, I'm happy for you to sweat and all, but please ignore calls from Hugh Hefner.

At least until the new in-laws know you better.