Why TAPPERCISE? 

Why use tappercise for exercise?  First and foremost, because it’s fun.  If you hate to exercise but want to stay in shape or lose weight, tappercise is the perfect solution because you can get a great workout and have fun at the same time.  Whether you’re a busy executive, teacher, student, nurse, or stay-at-home mom, tappercise can help you get in shape and stay in shape.

Tappercise can help you improve your strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination, and you can do it by yourself at home or with a group.  Either way, it’s a great way to unwind after a hard day at work or to relax your body so you can get a good night’s sleep.  Tapping with a group at a local dance studio is a great way to meet people and make new friends.

It is also well documented that students who perform more vigorous physical activity than their sedentary counterparts do better in school.  To see an improvement in mental ability, you need to increase your heart rate until you breathe harder than normal.  (MSU today, News for Michigan State University Alumni and Friends, winter edition, 2006).  Tappercise can definitely increase your heart rate and get you breathing harder than normal.

According to a scientific study reported in Newsweek magazine (January 16, 2006), certain leisure-time activities can lower your risk of dementia and cognitive disorders.  Of the five activities listed in the article that can have this effect (dancing, playing board games, playing musical instruments, doing crossword puzzles, and reading), dancing was ranked the highest.

Tappercise does not stress musicality or artistry as much as traditional tap dancing does, but the steps are the same and learning the steps used in tappercise will give you a good background for other types of tap dancing.

Why not give tappercise a chance?  Most instructors will let you attend your first class free, and you can start learning the steps before you buy a pair of tap shoes.  Savion Glover, who many consider the greatest tap dancer in the world, took his first tap-dancing classes wearing cowboy boots.

Compared to other activities, such as tennis or golf, tappercise is very inexpensive and bad weather will not stop you from getting a good workout.  The only things you need to practice at home are music, tap shoes, a large mirror, a good fan, and a flat sheet of plywood.  Tappercise is also better than tennis or golf for conditioning both sides of your body equally.

Most adults can learn enough steps to get a great workout by reading this book, listening to the sounds they make, and watching themselves in a mirror.  You can also find some outstanding DVDs that show you the basic steps and let you hear what they sound like when done by professional tap dancers or you can visit a local tap-dancing school and sign up for classes.

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