This Heart-Healthy Dance Class Will Help You Break a Sweat and 'Release the Pressure'

One of the best parts of exercise is how great it is for your cardiovascular health. And as the name suggests, cardio workouts are one of the best ways to get that benefit — those workouts that get your heart racing and sweat pouring. There’s lots of ways to make that happen — running, walking, biking, swimming — but in our opinion, the most joyful way to break a sweat is by dancing. And what better way to do it than through a dance cardio class taught by a true pro? The American Medical Association Foundation put on an energizing and empowering dance class for their Release the Pressure campaign on April 28, and if you couldn’t make it in person, no worries — we’re bringing you the class for free, so you can get your sweat on from the comfort of your own living room.

Release the Pressure is all about bringing together Black women from across America and reminding them to make their self-care a priority in order to improve their heart health, both by getting active and by taking the pledge to sign up for the Release the Pressure’s health-focused newsletter. It’s a free and convenient way to grab tips for taking care of yourself, and when you see it at the top of your inbox, it’ll be a welcome reminder to do something for you and your health today — not always easy in our stressful and jam-packed lives.

Of course, free and fun video workouts make it a little easier, and we can promise that this is one workout you’ll actually want to do. Led by award-winning dancer and dance instructor Linda Celeste Sims at the Ailey Extension dance studio in New York, this workout has it all: a gentle and free-flowing stretch session to start, ab work on the floor to get your core fired up, and a full-body dance workout that had the in-person class dripping sweat by the end. You’ll move through exercises like crunches, glute bridges, pulses, lunges, and plenty of jumping and rhythmic movement before slowing it down for a cooldown at the end.

As American Medical Association representative Takeesha White explained to the class, the driving force behind the Release the Pressure campaign is to help Black women prioritize their heart health, because the statistics are sobering. “One in two Black women over the age of 20 have hypertension and don’t even know it,” White said. “80 percent of Black people who have hypertension don’t have it under control.” Studies have found that cardiovascular disease is also leading cause of death for women (and particularly Black women) in the US, and hypertension (aka high blood pressure) is the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Lifestyle changes like eating healthy, limiting salt, and exercising regularly are known ways to control and manage hypertension, which makes heart-healthy workouts like this one a great addition to your wellness routine. As White told the class, “You all are saying today that you choose you!” Making yourself a priority can truly change — and save! — your life, so now’s the time to get started. Take the pledge and try the class yourself to begin prioritizing yourself and your heart health.