If there’s one thing the honorable Elle Woods taught us (besides, of course, the bend and snap) it’s that exercise gives us endorphins and endorphins make us happy. Though not the strongest of legal arguments, the logic is sound, with numerous scientific studies confirming the endorphin-producing effects of aerobic activity, which have been proven to result in pain relief, stress relief and improved mood.
With no shortage of exercise options to choose from, the gym is your oyster, but we’d argue that dancing is by far the most fun. And according to the scientists at Harvard (what, like it’s hard?) multiple studies have shown that dancing can also help “develop new neural connections, especially in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory and spatial recognition,” meaning not only are you working your body, you’re also working the brain.
With that in mind, we turned to an expert–Dancebody founder Katia Pryce–to learn a quick and easy dance cardio workout that can lift your mood and boost your confidence in just five minutes flat. “This five-step series can be done as a whole or broken down throughout the day,” she explains. “Each one-minute burst is meant to boost mood, increase productivity and get the blood flowing.”
Almost too fun to be called a workout, we love mixing in these moves to break up the work day, but they’re especially effective before a big meeting or presentation to help calm our nerves and clear our heads so we can exude poise and confidence (just like Elle). Read on for five dance cardio moves Pryce can’t get enough of.
