#149: Dancing Stars, Here I Come! Partner Teaching Me Dance Routine = Fun Exercise

I'm not a dancer, but i play one on TV. Dance is actually a different and entertaining way to get fit! Actually, I was picked as 1 of 13 contestants in this year's "Dancing Stars of Columbus" in our Georgia city, a dance competition that is a month from now! And we're raising money to help fight Alzheimer's Disease, which you can help with: https://act.alz.org/site/TR?px=22073268&pg=personal&fr_id=16244. (3:22) Our latest guest on the podcast (go subscribe to it now) is my pro partner and dance instructor/choreographer Tracie Chamblee, who began dancing at age 5 and has been teaching dance for a total of two decades. She talks about how the two of us have been doing with the 90 second routine to NSync music, practicing daily at her Cottrell Dance Studio. (7:18) Dance can be a workout! And it's a more fun one than other fitness routes, using muscles you may not normally use. And it's vital to have a strong core for dancing. When Tracie was younger, she would practice dance 20 hours per week. Injury halted her dreams of being a professional dancer, but she loves to teach, (11:20) which is what she's doing with this podcast host. She's a pro in this local "Dancing Stars" competition for the 5th season, involved because of the heartbreak of seeing both her grandmothers go through dementia. This is a way to raise money to help caregivers, families. As for our dancing, I've got to get sharper and keep perfecting the muscle memory with our dance moves. (20:52) Why is she so passionate about helping others learn how to dance better? Tracie also says there are lessons of life and faith in it. Losing her dad when she was 19, my dance partner says what pulled her out of weeks of depression was dance. She describes how it saved her life! She's also very competitive, not only at dance, but as a (30:42) sports fan and off-ice official for the Columbus (GA) River Dragons hockey team. She also calls dance a sport that requires training just as hard as football. I close with a little talk about how dancing mixes with the Bible, as seen in movies like Footloose...and then my closing prayer. Thanks for listening to the #RunTheRace podcast! Also, write a quick review about it, on Apple podcasts. For more info and all past episodes, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.