European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 scene stars and stripes sunday March 25 2007 not quite As easy As Tricky Waltz has health benefits d d 0 cd i u 5 c d the ballroom dance that scandalized polite English society in the 19th Century for its salacious pairing of men and women is causing a ruckus again the Waltz it turns out can have health benefits in a study of 110 hear failure patients that was presented at a recent meeting of the american heart association in Chicago researchers reported that dancing the Waltz three times a week for eight weeks was just As effective in improving cardiopulmonary every step says Jeff Allen author of the Complete idiots guide to Ball room dancing in the american style Waltz there Are 30 to 36 bars per minute so youre doing 90 weight changes per minute or More he says this style of Waltz is great for toning and strengthening Muscles says Tami Stevens co owner of the Pasadena ballroom dance association in Pasadena Calif youre elongating and stretching your body As you move she says we do a lot of turns function As exercising on a Treadmill or and variations on it so at the end of the bicycle for the same period dance your heart is beating harder that because the Waltz which looks because youve been turning and twirl so smooth and elegant when done Well is deceptively rigorous ing extend to others As Well says or William Averill a cardiologist and past president of the associations los Angeles Divi Sion of course diehard aficionados knew this and regard the re cent study As vindication the Waltz is More of and benefits aside the Waltz has Perks that a run on the elliptical Doest two words less sweat the viennese style Waltz is performed at 56 to 61 bars per minute roughly twice the Speed of the Ameri can Waltz even faster than a Lindy hop or Jitterbug Allen says you have to work yourself up to a viennese Waltz very much like an aerobics work out because its non Stop says Loren Kalin owner of the Long los Angeles Stuart Cote with student Theresa woo leads an american Waltz class in los Ange Les the dance requires body control and fast footwork a workout than aerobics or running Beach dance Centre in Long Beach says Stuart Cole co owner of Vivo dance sport Center in the los Angeles area on a recent tuesday night he was teaching both the slow american and faster viennese styles of the Waltz to several dozen students the Waltz is done in three four time or three beats to the bar Calif the music is 123 and your feet have to move to that rhythm if youre not in Peak condition youre going to be almost dead by the time you end the song Allen says the dance requires excellent body control As the couple moves in and out of various positions which int easy imagine counting 123 123 123 the rib Cage has to be lifted and sup very rapidly with a weight change on ported from the abdominal Muscles Allen says while the Hamstrings and gluten stretch vertically to keep an erect Carriage the Muscles work even harder As the dancer moves across the floor As the dancer puts one foot Down and moves another Hes carrying the entirety of his Torso weight plus head on every single dance step he says if you can do the viennese Waltz you dont really have to worry about your health because you have to be in shape Allen says not even dancing with the stars contestants will tackle that style of Waltz and that includes Al time nil Rush ing Leader Emmitt Smith this seasons dancing with the stars Winner Nick named twinkle toes by the although the running Back proved deceptively smooth and Light on his feet particularly in the Waltz he and other contestants mostly stayed away from the classic viennese style its just too fast Allen says muscle and cardio benefits aside the Waltz has Perks that a run on the elliptical Doest two words less sweat Walters get to exercise in an elegant setting with pleasant music and they dont have to hold their noses while towering someone else sweat from a Chrome machine no one smells bad says Cecilia you an avid Waltzer who took up Ball room dance 14 years ago where people go wrong is in Assum ing that its easy because it looks Effort less its very easy to dance the Waltz says Theresa woo who dances with her husband at Vivo dance sport Center but its very hard to do it right Allen has even stronger words about the Waltz its not Good for you he says its fabulous a Quick workout could Holp kick a bad habit As Little As five minutes of exercise seems to help smokers curb their craving for a cigarette a review of a dozen studies found the research showed that moderate exer Cise such As walking significantly reduced the intensity of smokers nicotine withdrawal symptoms if we found the same effects in a drug it would immediately be sold As an Aid to help people quit smok ing said or Adrian Taylor the study Lead author and professor of exercise and health psychology at the University of Exeter Taylor and colleagues reviewed 12 papers looking at the connection be tween exercise and nicotine deprivation they focused on exercises that could be done outside a gym such As walking and isometric or the flexing and tensing of Muscles according to their analysis just five minutes of exercise was often enough to help smokers overcome their immediate need for a nicotine fix after various types of moderate physical exertion researchers asked people to rate their need for a cigarette those who had exercised reported a reduced desire to smoke whats surprising is the strength of the effect said or Robert West professor of health psychology at University College London who was not involved in the study they found that the acute effects of exercise were As effective As a nicotine Patch West cautioned that it was unknown How Long the effects of exercise would last you could in theory use exercise to Deal with Short bouts of nicotine cravings but we dont know if it would help in the longer term he said it is Likely that exercise would have to be combined with a larger strategy of other antismoking techniques to be successful in helping people quit nearly anything that distracts people from smoking is thought to help but scientists have Long suspected that exercise might have a More potent effect Taylor theorized that exercise could produce the wooden dancing hormone dopamine which could in turn reduce smokers nicotine dependence still experts were not convinced about the study practical applications doctors can Tell patients to do things until there Blue in the face but the limiting Factor May be getting people to actually take up exercise said or Peter Hajek professor of clinical psychology at Queen Mary University Hospital in London Hajek was not involved in the study he said that if people were taught simple exercises including isometric they could do at their desk they could potentially stave off their need for a cigarette break when you Are dying for a cigarette you can try to exercise instead he said n q cd