As the owner of a Bhangra fitness company, the two questions I get asked most regularly are:
- What is Bhangra?
- What are the benefits of doing a Bhangra fitness class?
Bhangra is a traditional Indian dance from the northern state of Punjab; it’s a happy dance, which originated as a music and dance performed by farmers to celebrate a good harvest. It’s now the go-to music and dance at weddings, events and celebratory functions. Bhangra involves moving the whole body with the signature move being the ‘shrugging of the shoulders’ – do this and you’re halfway there. The rest is an unquantifiable amount of leg lifts and hands in the air (as if you’re a winner) and you’re well away!
Being born into a traditional Punjabi Sikh family, Bhangra has always been a part of me; I have grown up around Bhangra music and I’ve put in the Bhangra miles at weddings, parties and events until I’ve dropped. It’s the music that captures you first – that distinctive beat of the dhol – it’s powerful, lifting and a free boost of natural motivation. Then comes the tune and vibe of the track, the lyrics and the voice of the singer – all these culminate into a perfect backdrop for an exercise class.
The Benefits of Bhangra
BBX fitness classes are based on the dance of Bhangra. We use the dance moves to increase our cardio fitness, muscle strength, stability and mobility. Some of the benefits of Bhangra (depending on fitness levels) include an average calorie burn rate of 500-600 calories per hour, increased heart rate and cardiovascular activity, physical exertion, increased weight loss and fitness levels.
There are many other benefits to Bhangra, as articulated by our clients:
- “Bhangra has helped to control my blood pressure, reduce stress and improve my heart rate.” (Rashy Shergill)
- “I feel happier with Bhangra fitness in my life and have something to look forward to each week It’s given balance to my life and brought back the fun in life.” (Manjit Kaur)
- “I know physical fitness and health are directly tied to mental well-being. As I am recovering and regaining my strength and mobility my mental well-being is improved dramatically. Plus whenever I am feeling down I’ve found that doing Bhangra for just 30 minutes gives me a rush, I feel happy afterwards.” (Rex Wigg)
I’ve often wondered what is it about Bhangra that releases endorphins so effectively and I’ve concluded that it is the perfect combination of great music, the dhol beat, the big, bold dance moves and that feeling of happiness that is created by the dance. There’s the immediacy of smiling, changing of physiology and moving into the ‘winning position’ (chin up, chest out, arms outstretched above your head), anticipating the next beat of the drum and completing sets on a big finish which helps to achieve physical improvements as well as mental health and wellbeing benefits:
- “Yes…it forces me to take time out for myself for an hour so I can focus on what I like to do – dance and listen to music. Brings me great joy!” Mandy Dhanda
- “It has helped me so much, specially with having arthritis in joints in my back. In the beginning it was difficult for me to move, but now I enjoy it so much that I try and go every week.” Anonymous
- “Being able to meet up with friends when it’s difficult to otherwise, due to busy lives and also meeting new people after spending so long indoors!” Sammy
Here at BBX Fitness we will continue to (loudly) extol the benefits of Bhangra on mental health and physical fitness. However, as with most things in life, it’s hard to really appreciate the benefits of Bhangra until you actually experience it. In September 2021, Abby took the plunge and joined one of our classes. These are her thoughts:
“I wanted to say a big thank you. Joining Bhangra is one of the best things I’ve done this year, I love it. A big part of that is having you as my teacher, so thank you for being so frickin’ awesome. I noticed that my fitness score on my Fitbit has gone up recently, having been steady for over a year. The only thing I’ve changed is joining Bhangra, so I’m crediting that increase in my fitness to you. My main motivation for coming to your classes isn’t fitness, it’s because I love dance, but it’s certainly a very nice bonus!”
Bally Bhogal
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-increase-endorphins
