Square Dance an effective sport?

Manni Lemanski, Stintfang Square Dancers und Ohmoor Squeezers

Yes, Square Dance is a sport where top records can be achieved!

At the Round Up I measured the efforts put into Square Dancing from Friday until Sunday. I used the following instruments:

equipment: (attached to)

1 Eschenbach pedometer (foot)
1 Twin electronie pedometer (waist)
1 K+R automatic step and kilometer recorder (waist and foot)
1 Fifty K+R kilometer recorder (waist and hip)
1 crystal pulsator (wrist)

The result was quite surprising. I had altogether missed only three tips, and stopped measuring at 15.00 hours on Sunday. Whenever I did not dance I switched the instruments off. Since I did not dance any Rounds myself I occasionally adjusted the instrument to a lady dancer and then averaged the readings. According to these a dancer who danced all the Square and Round Dance tips, including workshops, covered over 54 kilometers!

The pulse rate per minute was between
120 and 150, which is ideal.

(It was lower during Patterns than during
fast Singing Calls.)

Here some remarks which I should like to add:

Square Dancing is as beneficial to health as swimming and cycling! Tests made at the "Sporthochschule" in Cologne showed that most joggers do more than is good for them. They recommend those exercises which aim at flexibility and coordination of movement, best achieved by "swimming, gymnastics or square dancing". Prof. Dr. Hollmann from the "Sporthochschule" (physical education college) in Cologne states, that these are the kinds of sport most beneficial to heart and circulation.

Persons under the age of 50 should reach a pulse rate per minute of no less than 130 and no more than 160; if over 50 not more than 180 minus age, but a short time 150 will do no harm. Training of this kind has many positive effects: The heart beats more slowly, but pumps enough blood, and with it oxygen, into circulation, which means it works more economically. It also favours the condition of the blood, and so reduces the danger of thrombosis. It stimulates the forming of HDL-cholesterol vital for the prevention of arteriosclerosis. And lastly it stimulates the whole metabolism and wellbeing.

Therefore: Square Dance is not only "in", but also a wholesome and gay sport which is flexible enough, so that nobody needs to feel overstrained.

So lets Square Up.