For most of us, dancing is a fun way to unwind, and that’s what we do on a Saturday night after drinking too much.
But what if dancing could actually help slow or even reverse the aging process? ABC’s Catalyst program wanted to know.
As a young man, Roderick would dance the night away at rave parties on weekends.
“I thought I was a good dancer,” says the 67-year-old.
But Roderick’s life changed when he was diagnosed with HIV 40 years ago.
Since taking antiretroviral drugs for his illness, he has developed peripheral neuropathy. This is a condition that causes numbness, weakness and pain in the limbs.
The drugs that saved Roderick’s life left him numb in his legs, making it difficult to balance, let alone dance.
“It was like walking on rubber,” he says.
Roderick recently joined eight other participants in the Catalyst experiment investigating how dance can help improve the physical and mental health of older adults.
Over the course of 12 weeks, participants spent four hours each week learning a routine that combined dance and sign language.
Led by Australian choreographer Kelly Abbey, the program culminated in a live performance at Sydney’s National Institute for the Performing Arts (NIDA).
Participants also participated in seven health-based assessments measuring physical and cognitive performance before and after the program.
But after just three rehearsals, Roderick had already made a breakthrough.
After living with numbness in my legs for 10 years, I began to feel pain in my calf muscles when I was stretching.
“It hurts, but it’s bloody good pain.”
And there was even more exciting news.
big slowdown
Love it or hate it, we are getting older. When you look in the mirror, you may notice a few more wrinkles and silvery hair, but there are a lot of changes happening on the inside as well.
For one, muscle mass begins to slowly decline around age 35. This process accelerates after he turns 60. This makes the body weaker, more prone to fatigue, and harder to move.
It also changes the way you walk. You may have been able to sprint down the street when you were younger, but as you get older your steps tend to be shorter and slower and your feet are less stable.
It is therefore not surprising that falls are the most common cause of injury-related deaths for people aged 75 and over, according to data from NHS Digital in the UK.
“It can be one of the most problematic physical aspects of aging,” says Rachel Ward, biomechanics scientist at UNSW Sydney.
“Falls are a huge burden on the public health system.”
Coping with these physical challenges and the associated risks can affect your daily life.
Over time, it can become more appealing to relax and skip exercise altogether.
Besides, our cognitive abilities can take a hit, such as remembering names and numbers or doing mental arithmetic on the fly.
But staying fit and being sharp go hand in hand, for better or worse, says Emily Cross, a cognitive neuroscientist at the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behavior and Development at the University of Western Sydney. say.
Being inactive also means you’re not giving your brain enough exercise.
“We hear it over and over again. It’s a use it or lose it mantra,” says Professor Cross.
“This is especially true for physical activity and maintaining body circuits in the brain.”
cheer up
But not all are pessimistic. Any form of exercise is good for the mind and body, but dancing checks all the boxes at once.
Unlike squats and weightlifting, dancing is like multitasking on steroids.
Move your body to the music, learn a series of steps, and coordinate (or try!) with other dancers around you to move through space.
This gives your body a 360-degree workout, says Dr. Ward.
“What’s unique about dance is that you don’t just repeat the same movements over and over, you learn a lot at the same time,” she says.
“All of that always brings musculoskeletal and neurological challenges.”
Dancing is especially good for the heart. One study of his in 2016 with over 48,000 participants Researchers over the age of 40 found that those who danced had a 46% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did not.
Some studies have also linked dancing with improved balance, flexibility, strength, and coordination.
By the end of the Catalyst experiment, all participants noted improved fitness, balance, and agility.
On the 4-square step test, which measures how fast participants can move between four squares, Roderick improved his time by more than 30%.
And while she struggled to balance on one leg at the beginning of the program, she was able to stand on her right leg for 30 seconds after 12 weeks of dancing.
Dancing also helps people with conditions like Parkinson’s, which affects about 1 in 100 people over the age of 65.
People with Parkinson’s disease often have difficulty controlling their movements.
But dancing to music, says Natalie Allen, a neurophysiotherapist who specializes in Parkinson’s disease at the University of Sydney, works with parts of the brain unaffected by the disease, allowing more movement flow. can be found. .
“The rhythm of music helps people with Parkinson’s move more freely and easily,” Dr. Allen tells Catalyst.
Anni, 72, was diagnosed with early Parkinson’s disease earlier this year after noticing tremors in her hands. She was also unsteady on her feet.
However, after participating in the Catalyst’s dance experiment, Anni reduced her wobble A whopping two-thirds in her stance.
disco for your brain
Whether you’re trying to master ballroom dancing or the perfect pirouette, dancing keeps your brain active.
All that learning can also reshape and build new pathways in the brain.
A 2021 study of people aged 60 to 79 found that brisk walking combined with ballroom dancing increased the amount of white matter, the neural tissue that enables brain cells to send and receive messages quickly. I understand.
“Dance complements all cognitive and social tasks,” Professor Cross tells Catalyst.
“If you want to reverse neurological decline in general, dancing is a great way to exercise your brain across multiple areas.”
It’s difficult to study what’s going on in the brains of people spinning and shaking in rehearsal rooms.
But Professor Cross took the next best step. It’s about getting a peek at what’s going on in people’s brains as they watch videos of their teachers performing the dance routines they’re learning.
“If you learn to dance, you learn by watching other people dance,” she says.
“You have to translate what you see in someone else’s body into your own.”
Our brains contain special cells called mirror neurons that allow us to learn by looking at other people.
These cells are located in areas of the brain involved in controlling body movement, spatial awareness, and attention.
Professor Cross and her team found that this network of mirror neurons operates while people are watching and learning.
“These areas sharpen the response, and you’ll actually be able to see and feel in a way that helps bridge the gap between what other people are doing with their bodies and what you’re doing with your bodies.” It’s online in 2020,” says Professor Cross.
The good news is that these same areas turn on in people of all ages. This shows that the brain never loses its ability to learn new things.
“It’s really, really exciting that learning is shaping these brain circuits,” says Professor Cross.
“It means you can teach an old dog new tricks.”
This cognitive enhancement was also seen in Catalyst dancers.
Shirley, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia five years ago, showed the greatest improvement among all participants.
Initially, Shirley’s performance on cognitive tests was far inferior to that of the rest of the group.
But after three months of dancing, her test results came close to those of the other participants.
“It’s amazing. I can’t believe it,” the 75-year-old told Catalyst.
Shirley may not be able to completely rid herself of her condition through dance, but her results show that the physical, creative, and social aspects of dance are beneficial.
“All these aspects of dancing may help slow the progression of dementia,” says Professor Cross.
ultimate mood booster
One in eight Australians over the age of 65 feels socially isolated or lonely, which can lead to depressed moods and poor mental health.
Going for a walk with a friend is one way to stay connected, but dancing can get you out of your comfort zone in a way that other types of exercise don’t, says Cross.
“If you’re learning new things, making mistakes, laughing at yourself, and laughing at each other, you have the potential to build social bonds that just being in a walking group doesn’t give you,” she says. increase.
“Sometimes you express yourself through physical movement, but no other physical activity.”
Some studies have shown that dancing for at least 150 minutes a week reduces depression in older adults, while other studies have shown that it can help reduce anxiety and social isolation. I already know.
It’s also the huge confidence boost Shirley experienced herself when, after weeks of rehearsals, she began to get the hang of dance routines in the Catalyst Experiment.
“The fact that I can do it and the fact that I understand it all … I really value that,” she says.
“I feel I belong and am not a burden on anyone else.”
With so many different styles of dance out there, it can be difficult to figure out how to choose just one. But it really can’t go wrong, says Dr. Ward.
“I think any form of dance presents physical, mental and cognitive challenges.”
A good way to narrow down your options is to think about the types of music you’ve always enjoyed and how much you want to be physically active, says Dr. Ward.
But ultimately, the most beneficial dances are the ones you enjoy the most.
“When we talk about the best interventions, that’s what people want to stick to,” says Professor Cross.
For Roderick, the benefits are “life-changing.” By the end of the program he experienced full sensation in his legs after his ten years of numbness.
“The joy of actually feeling the sheets on my feet…I can now actually distinguish between heat and cold,” he says.
“Keep dancing, I’m sure.”
Watch Part 1 of Catalyst’s Keep On Dancing on ABC iview. Part 2 airs on Tuesday, October 11th on ABC TV and ABC iview.
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