Get Fit and Healthy the Elizabethan Way

England, Elizabethan era. Plague and pox stalk the streets. There's poverty, strife, rotting garbage and waste, virtually no hygiene, and poor nutrition. Medicine consists of herbs and gemstones. The average lifespan for a man in cities is 35 for the rich, and 25 for the poor.

What can we possibly learn from this to benefit our health today? Queen Elizabeth I, despite the conditions in which her people lived, died at a very ripe age of 70. And she was not beyond the pitfalls of disease and deprivation. Even she caught the pox. Her health regime bordered on paranoid; she moved her court often so her palaces could be cleaned, and to avoid disease outbreaks nearby. She bathed more than was common and exiled courtiers with body odor.

But since hygiene, medicine, and health standards have improved immeasurably, it's not her health regime we can emulate. Instead, we should look to her love of exercise as inspiration for our own lifestyle.

We're more sedentary than our Elizabethan/Renaissance ancestors. Most of us don't work manual labor. We don't grow our own food, milk cows, tend fields, or even struggle to knead and bake our own bread. Many of us don't exercise. We sit to watch TV or surf the Internet. We lounge to read. We wouldn't last five minutes in Elizabeth I's court!

One of Elizabeth I's passions was dance. Daily exercise through dance was demanded of her court. If you wanted the pleasure of her palaces, you had to know all the fashionable dances, no matter how lively they were.

She loved the most energetic and risqué dances, like the Volte. If you've seen the Elizabeth movies starring Cate Blanchett, then you've seen the dance. It involved leaping in the air, noblewomen daring to display their ankles - which was taboo. The court could spend hours daily dancing themselves into shape.

The health benefits of dance are well known. Besides fantastic cardio and aerobic workout, dance simply feels good. It can be an emotional outlet as we express what's inside us through our moving bodies.

You don't need to take a course in Renaissance dance to get your daily exercise, but a little dance can go a long way. If you dance daily even for a trial period, you will likely find you feel great - endorphins rush through your body and give you an undeniable high! And your heart, muscles, and joints strengthen.

Here are some practical ways you can discover the joy and benefits of dance:

• Learn to bellydance, particularly if you're a woman. You can buy beginner's bellydancing DVDs, especially from exotic twin dancers Neena and Veena (the "Bellytwins"). Bellydance is sensual and awakens your spirit. It also tones "problem" areas like hips, buttocks, thighs, waist, and arms.
• Take a swing dance class at a local studio. You'll be surprised how many studios are near you if you search. Swing dance is infectious fun; in the 30s and 40s it was a rare escape from harsh reality.
• If you enjoy clubs spend the night dancing, not just hanging by the bar. Get on the floor and move. Even if you feel self-conscious, everybody is too busy dancing to stare at you.
• Turn off the lights and turn up the tunes. If you prefer to dance in privacy, dance in the dark. Play upbeat music and let your body do what it wants to do. It won't lead you astray!

If your heart pounds and you glisten with perspiration, you'll know what it's like to be Queen Elizabeth I, finding pleasure and fitness through dance.

Sources:
Wikipedia