Why dancing is the ultimate workout for your body, mind and mood in 2026

Some of us might thrive in looking for a fourth in padel, others may prefer a solo swim doing laps – it’s horses for courses, right?

The most important thing is to enjoy the activity that you do, or it’s something you won’t prioritise and, therefore, sustain.

Finding the right activity, however, can be no easy feat; and with the NHS recommending at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, it’s easy to feel like the pressure is on to get out and get moving.

But what if we told you that shaking it off to Taylor Swift or box stepping to The Beatles could hold the key to hitting that target and even reaching your step count?

“We build connections and communicate with others creatively when we dance”

Silvia Cordoba, Senior Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach, Vitality

One study found that bopping to your favourite tune counts towards your 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise.

Plus, with apps like TikTok teeming with trending dance routines and prime-time TV lit up with dance competitions – one recently featuring our very own Vitality Ambassadors Ellie Simmonds and Dr Punam Krishan – dancing for your health is well and truly within pirouetting distance.

And that’s not all. Finding common ground with people through the medium of dance can help create a broader social life and sense of community, which is an essential part of our overall wellbeing.

When we move with others, we experience something called neural synchrony, which plays a crucial role in social bonding and connection.

Vitality’s Senior Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach, Silvia Cordoba, agrees that dancing does indeed have great benefits for us on a social level.

“We build connections and communicate with others creatively when we dance,” she points out. “It helps us to feel a sense of support, community, and identity and can help reduce loneliness and increase our mood.”

Choreographer and dance teacher, Christina Andrea, has witnessed firsthand connections being formed in her classes.

“I have seen dance connect people, friendships form, people find business partners, wives and even babies have been born from connections made in the dance studio.”

How to become the perfect workout buddy

Waltz away those worries

Dancing has also been proven to reduce stress and anxiety.

“When we dance,” Cordoba explains, “we experience an increase in the production of endorphins and get rid of excess cortisol.” Dancing also helps to boost our mood by increasing serotonin and dopamine – the ‘happy hormones’ – that play a role in helping us to regulate our emotions.

“Dancing is healing and expressive,” adds Andrea. “It’s a wonderful mixture of physicality and artistry [...] you can explore feelings through texture and dynamics.

“I find that whatever is going on in my life, when I get in the studio, I forget about it and just find myself present with the movement and the music. It can be very meditative.”

When we are focused on dancing, we are allowing ourselves to be in the moment, which in turn can “reduce anxious thoughts and worries that can often take space in our minds,” adds Cordoba.

Twist and shout

So, we’ve established that getting your groove on is good for your mental and physical health. “It's an effective way to improve fitness and overall wellbeing, making it a great exercise choice for everyone, especially older adults,” explains Andrew Isaac, Vitality’s Exercise and Nutrition Coach.

But believe it or not, the benefits, like the music, don’t have to stop there. It isn’t just good for our physical bodies, but also our cognitive function.

Cordoba notes that if we participate in, say, ballroom dancing or another form of dance that requires learning and memorising certain steps, following structure and routines, “we are also exercising our brain’s executive function and memory capacity, and this will help our brain to stay healthy and active.”

Andrea adds that one of her students has cerebral palsy “and dancing literally saves his life as it helps to strengthen his bones and gives his frame the support to hold itself open”.

It takes two to tango

Whether it’s dancing the night away in your kitchen while you cook or joining a class at your local gym, dancing not only gets your heart rate up and those endorphins flowing, but all that foot-stepping will help increase your step count.

Research from The Vitality Habit Index shows that for inactive people, doing 2,500 four times a week is associated with up to 15% mortality risk reduction.

I like to move it, move it

Your internal monologue might be telling you that there’s no way that you’d be able to jive like the pros on a popular TV programme.

Happily, no one is asking you to become a professional dancer. The important thing to remember is that dancing is supposed to be fun and it’s about finding a dance style that you enjoy – once you do, the health benefits will follow.

Andrea suggests that the first step is to put on your favourite music at home and to just move to it. “It doesn’t have to be specific steps. Just find the beat, let yourself feel it and have fun,” she says.

If you want to take it up a notch you could check out your nearest dance studio where you can find classes for all abilities or even online. Even better, as a Vitality member with a qualifying plan you can access dance classes at Nuffield Health Gyms and enjoy up to 50% off a gym membership*.

“Check out beginner's level and work your way up,” suggests Andrea. “Don’t give up after your first class. Try different styles, different teachers. There is so much out there and it’s so good for your body and spirit.”

And there’s no need for you to go it alone. Why not take a friend or a friendship group along with you for the first session? Whatever makes you feel like dancing could unlock a new passion or a whole new lease of life.

*Get up to 50% off a monthly Nuffield Health membership when you take out a qualifying plan. A joining fee of up to £39 will apply.

Related: How to stay active in the winter months