Creative Workout Idea: Dance Central 3

Sometimes on your fitness journey it's important to get creative with your workouts. We can often get stuck in a rut, doing the same things over and over again, which can cause us to lose our motivation for working out altogether. This week I've found myself in a space of being tired and unmotivated. It has happened before and I personally think it's important to listen to your body and take breaks or switch things up when needed. If we force ourselves to do things that we don't necessarily want to do it can have adverse effects, including injuries and burnout.

When I get in a rut I turn to my trusted XBox Kinect to switch up my workouts. Dance Central 3 is one of my favorite non-conventional ways to get in some great cardio. Not only is it super fun (which helps to make it feel like it's not even a workout), but it's also something that can involve the whole family (our daughter LOVES playing with us!). The game even has a Fitness Mode, which allows you to maintain a steady state of cardio (rather than stopping and starting between song choices). I would recommend playing in Fitness Mode for at least 45 minutes in order to burn a decent amount of calories (I have read that dancing can burn about 370 calories per hour at average intensity). There are rumors of a Dance Central 4 coming out in the near future (couldn't confirm this). If it does come out I can't wait to see what songs are going to be included on it!

For those with an XBox Kinect I would definitely recommend trying any of the Dance Central games (Dance Central, Dance Central 2, Dance Central 3).