Dance Your, Um, Glutes Off

Look around the fitness center next time you’re at the gym: Exercise is serious stuff. Whether you’re running on the treadmill or doing medicine ball pushups, you may not find yourself grinning and giggling because exercise—even when you’re enjoying it—is hard work. But you can get a great workout and lighten up a little.

Cardio dance classes, such as 24 Dance, help you work up a sweat while also adding another proven stress-buster: laughter. After all, unless you’re Jason Taylor, when you’re bumping hips with a partner or shaking your shoulders, it’s pretty tough to keep a straight face. “No one leaves the class without smiling or laughing at least once,” says Linda McHugh, Group X programming manager.

According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can increase feel-good endorphins in your brain, stimulate circulation, soothe tension, relieve pain, and even boost your immune system. So consider dropping your intense treadmill glare a few workouts a week to give your cardio session a healthy does of the giggles.

Three 24 Dance class moves sure to get you smiling, smirking, or even belting out a belly laugh:

1. Hoppin’ and Twistin’
Dance Style: Swing
Music: Zoot Soot Riot by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
Hop: Keep feet hip-width apart. Jump forward 12 inches, landing first on your right foot, then your left. Hop forward again but land with your left foot leading. Swing arms in front of your chest and clap hands on second landing. Now reverse and jump back: right, left, hinging at hips and sticking out your rear as if initiating a squat. Clap. Repeat hop cycle four times. Now twist: make eight small marching steps to complete a circle in place, shaking your hips and waving one hand in the air. Repeat hop cycle again four times.

Make it harder: Jump forward and back twice the distance (24 inches) and bring arms up above head for each clap.

2. Hitchhiker
Dance style: Disco
Music: Boogie Shoes by KC & The Sunshine Band
Take a long step forward with your right foot, knees slightly bent. Throw your right elbow forward and thumb out to the side like you’re about to bum a ride. Now repeat with left foot and left thumb. Walk four steps forward and four steps back. Repeat four times.

Make it harder: bend knees deeper, about 45 degrees, and step forward and back a longer distance—about 24 inches with each step.

3. Super Street Move
Dance style: Hip hop
Music: Low by Flo Rida
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, shoulders relaxed. Stamp right foot in place and throw bent right arm out in front of your body parallel to floor. Repeat with left foot and left arm. Now do a body roll: raise both arms like you’re about to pull a sweatshirt hood off your head. With hands up at ears, raise your chest and roll back shoulders as if flicking the hood back. Quickly lower arms down to side of body, chest comes back in, bend knees slightly and stick butt out as if about to sit. Complete cycle of stamps and body roll four times.

Make it harder: Pick up the pace, moving through body roll in two beats.

24 Dance
The music: Runs the gamut from disco to hip hop.
The moves: Inspired by swing, disco, cowboy boogie (hip country western), strip tease, hip hop, and Latin.
The time: 30, 45, or 60 minutes
The perks: Fun, easy-to-learn moves.

Other dance classes to get you shakin’:

Salsa Moves
30, 45, or 60 minutes
Brush up on your mamba and cha cha with this latin-style class.

24 Tease
30 minutes
Learn sexy stylized moves inspired by strip tease. Wear an extra layer to shed post warm up.

24 Grooves
30, 45, or 60 minutes
Stamp and shake to the beat of hip hop.