Quitting smoking is always a good idea, but with Soca dance exercises on the horizon? The sooner, the better! Soca dance is a flurry of fast-paced, complicated Caribbean dance steps that are designed to make you move. Whether you’re 17 or 70, age doesn’t matter — you just have to be able to keep up.
But as a smoker, that might be a challenge. Cigarettes have been found to cause significantly more fatigue, as well as impact cardiovascular capabilities, depression, and quality of life. Fortunately, it’s never too late to quit. The ACS claims the body begins to recover minutes after smoking your last cigarette.
You’ll be looking better, smelling better, feeling better, and your body will actually feel much better, too. Still not convinced? Here are some more reasons to finally kick your smoking habit and sign up for that Soca dance class.
Quitting lessens your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
CVDs are a group of disorders that include the heart and blood vessels, and are actually the leading cause of death globally. What is the population most at risk? Smokers.
Smoking increases the amount of plaque in the blood vessels, causing the blood to thicken and form clots inside veins and arteries. One out of every four deaths from CVD or more than 30% of coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths in the United States each year are attributable to cigarette smoking.
JAMA stresses that the risk of CVD is reduced by 39% within five years if heavy smokers quit today. Even then, however, it could take at least 5-10 years, and sometimes up to 25 years after quitting, for one’s CVD risk to become the equivalent of a person who has never smoked.
Soca dance exercise is great cardio for recovery
Fortunately, supplementing your quitting journey with Soca dance speeds up the process to getting healthier. Helping your heart recover from the stress it’s been through while you were smoking becomes proactive and fun!
Dancers have been found to have a 46% lower risk of cardiovascular death and moderate-intensity dancing was associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease mortality — to a much greater extent than simply walking. So what about a more a high-intensity dance activity like Soca?
As we’ve mentioned in our previous article on Wave, Jump, & Wine, Soca dance focuses on high-impact aerobic exercises that are perfect for mitigating CVD side effects like a shortness of breath. That is because dancing is found to not only help increase stamina but also provide a better mood, and extra vitality which makes you tire less easily.
There are more alternatives available
Of course, quitting an addiction is never easy. So, many companies have flooded the industry with different alternatives and cessation aids to substitute cigarettes.
E-cigarettes hit the U.S. marketplace around 2007, to become the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth by 2014. However, usage started declining during 2015-2017 due to the fire hazard and presence of smoke that tends to contain harmful particles.
With that, more recent research compiled by Prilla on smoking adults found that they’re more likely to be aware of nicotine pouches, which are an alternative to cigarettes but don’t pose the same risk because they don’t have the smoke or fire that e-cigarettes do. Because they don’t require any effort to use, they have become extremely popular among younger, active adults.
16.8% of the smokers claim they may try nicotine pouches within the next six months and 6.9% said the same thing about smokeless tobacco products. Another popular option is the nicotine patch featured by the CDC. The patches need to be placed on dry, hair-free skin and can be worn for 24 hours, withstanding showering or bathing and can be worn while in a Soca dance class.
Who needs cigarettes when dancing provides the same dopamine release — as well as the endorphins and adrenaline. Sign up today in any one of our Soca dance classes and sashay away from your smoking habit for good.