GLEN BURNIE, Md., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- February is American Heart Month, and Baltimore Washington Medical Center has the key to a healthier heart: dance.
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The medical center will host the fourth annual Day of Dance for Health on Saturday, February 23, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Severna Park Community Center in Severna Park, MD, proving that dancing can be both fun and beneficial to the heart.
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Day of Dance for Health combines dance lessons and dancing to different forms of music, such as salsa, country line and hip hop, with health screenings and education on heart disease and other women's health issues. BWMC is the only Maryland hospital to host a Day of Dance for Health event.
"Dancing is a sport we all love and an activity that has powerful benefits for our heart, lungs and brain," said Kim Davidson, manager of community outreach at BWMC. "On February 23, we are dancing for fun and hoping to inspire a lifetime of healthy living for every participant."
The free event will include dancing; cholesterol, blood pressure and vascular screenings; tips on healthy cooking and activities to remind participants that preventing heart disease can be a fun and energizing experience. Day of Dance for Health events are presented on February 23 by affiliate hospitals of the Spirit of Women Health Network in more than 60 cities across the United States.
Dancing can burn as many calories as swimming, walking or riding a bike -- between 200 and 400 calories per hour. If done on a regular basis as a form of exercise, resulting health benefits include weight maintenance or weight loss, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, increased energy, decreased sadness and depression, increased coordination and muscle strength and an overall sense of well-being.
Nearly 500,000 women die each year of cardiovascular disease, making it the leading cause of death for American women. One in two women will die of heart disease.
The Severna Park Community Center is located at 623 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, Severna Park, MD 21146. For more information or directions, please call 410-787-4367.
The 2008 National Day of Dance for Health is presented by the Spirit of Women Health Network, The Heart Truth campaign, Good Housekeeping magazine, The Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership, Quaker Oats, Wheat Thins, Revolution Health, the P.A.D. Coalition and the National Stroke Association.
Baltimore Washington Medical Center is an acute-care facility that is part of the University of Maryland Medical System. It has 293 beds and cares for more than 173,000 patients a year on an inpatient and outpatient basis.
SOURCE Baltimore Washington Medical Center
