Do Dance Mats Provide Good Exercise?

Along with a healthy diet, a dance mat can work as a great tool to help you lose weight and get your body into shape. Dance mats provide cardio exercise equivalent to a brisk walk, jogging or running, depending on the setting you exercise on. Most dance mat games provide workout programs, allowing you to exercise daily in the comfort of your own home. But lets look at the pro's and cons of this equipment:

Pro's

• Working out on a dance mat is FUN. Unlike aerobics, where you will have no idea whether you are doing it all wrong, on a dance mat you have to get the moves right to score points. The gaming aspect of this piece of equipment helps you to stay motivated and exercise for longer than you initially planned.
• Dance mats are relatively cheap and available for all consoles as well as the PC. A dance mat provides similar exercise to other "gaming" equipment such as the Wii fit, Kinnect and Eye Toy, but is a lot cheaper. A wide range of games, such as Dance Dance Revolution are available for different dance mats.
• You don't only have to play dancing games - most dance mats have exactly the same buttons as the game controller, allowing you to play other games with it as well. Ever tried to play a fighting game such as Soul Calibur on a dance mat? Do yourself a favor and try it out!
• A dance mat allows you to work out at home, at your own time. You are not bound to time as with exercise classes. You also don't have to worry about looking fat, unfit and ridiculous in front of the fit, mascular gym junkies. It is ideal for people who work from home and want to take a quick break.
  
• Dance mats require little space and are easy to store, unlike other home exercise equipment such as exercise bikes and treadmills.
• You can work out at your own pace. Dance games support different settings, allowing you to start as a beginner, working up to the more difficult steps. At aerobics and other classes, you are often forced to meet the fitness level of the rest of the class. On a dance mat, you only need to move on to more vigorous exercise as soon as you feel ready.
• Dance games can be a social activity the whole family can enjoy. With a dance mats, you can motivate your kids to actually do some exercise. They are also a great hit at home parties.
• Most dance games keep record of your daily improvement. They calculate the amount of calories you have burned according to your weight, and allow you to monitor this while exercising. After a dance session, you will know exactly how effective it actually was. If you eat a bit more than your diet allows, you can easily calculate how many extra calories you need to burn, and let the dance game help you achieve it.
• If used correctly, dance mats are safe to use for children, older people and even pregnant women. Most games allow you to take the "jump" step out for people for who it may be dangerous to do jump moves.

Cons

• If you don't own a console or PC, a dance mat is not that cheap.
• The effectiveness of this equipment totally depends on your own motivation. Unlike classes that you HAVE to attend because you paid up front for it, a dance mat will wait patiently until next time.
• Because you can determine your own pace, you can get stuck on a certain level of fitness and not try a further challenge.
• Maximum two people can use dance mats simultaneously from the same console - you might have to take turns if it is in high demand in your family.