With all of the hype about dancing, it makes you wonder if it really is a good workout. The answer is yes. There has been an explosion of dance related reality TV shows for the past couple of years. While on the shows, the participants seem to loose weight and tone up, but can regular people with only a few minutes to exercise per day burn calories this way? A study released by the American Council on Exercise states that dancing can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories per hour. This is very similar to the burn rate of walking, swimming, and cycling.

Along with being a super workout, it is also fun. Fun and exercise are not heard in the same sentence very often, but in this case it is true. The great thing about dancing is that you can do it at home. Some people shy away from dancing in public because they are embarrassed, but dancing at home frees you to be silly and have fun.

There are several forms of dance, and dance workouts. You may want to go with choreographed moves; this is a great option if you are new to dancing. With this type of routine an instructor demonstrates the moves and then you follow along. There are several great choreographed dance DVD workouts.

Another super popular option is Ball Room dancing. This form of dancing was revived by the ever popular show, Dancing with the Stars. Ball room dancing is a fun activity to do with a partner. If you do not have a partner, don’t worry, you can still learn the moves and have a great workout. Dances like the Cha-cha and Salsa are also great for building bone density because they are weight bearing activities.

If you are a little more rebellious, go free style. Turn up the music and start moving. Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs is a dance workout video that will get you killer abs.