Welcome to WalkDance.com

Jogging was great. Jazzercize was even more fun and better for you because it exercised more of your body.

WalkDancing is the next evolutionary step. It uses the natural desire to move to music, and allows you to have even more fun by moving the way you feel like moving, and doing it to music you really like.

This way of exercising is not only very good for you, it is the most likely way of producing an ecstatic experience. To find out more about WalkDancing, click here.

Read a woman's experience of WalkDancing for the first time: "I just finished my first WalkDance workout..."


"I had so much fun
I didn't care who thought
I was loony tunes!"

- Donna Evans


A List Of Great Songs For WalkDancing
We've tried them all, and these have the right combination of the right beat and uplifting lyrics.

Combine Exercise and Music for Brain Power
The improvement in verbal fluency test performance after listening to music was more than double that of the non-music condition. "This is the first study to look at the combined effects of music and short-term exercise on mental performance," said Charles Emery, the study's lead author and a professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

WalkDancing Debuts at the Danskin Triathlon
WalkDancing is an demonstration of freedom from our normal self-suppression. By demonstrating that a person can express herself that way in public, Klassy opened the possibility for others. Near the end of the race, as Klassy WalkDanced toward the finish line, another woman was running up behind her, and when she saw what Klassy was doing, she did a short dance herself, twirled around, and kept running.


"Any problem in the world
can be solved by dancing."

- James Brown


I Hope You Dance
Here are the lyrics to Lee Ann Womack's song, I Hope You Dance. You can't walkdance to this song, but the lyrics will motivate you to dance your heart out and live your life to the fullest. Also included here is a link to the Foundation For a Better Life's television spot you can see online. The spot uses Womak's song.

Tap Dancing Record
Tap dancing isn't the same as WalkDancing, but we thought this was a fun little fact. According to the Guinness World Book of Records, David Meenan set a record when he tapdanced a little over 28 miles in seven hours in 1997. Read what Meenan wrote to us.

Matt Harding Dancing Around The World
He's not much of a dancer, but he sure gets around. This is a little five minute streaming video of Matt dancing in the most amazing places.

A New Word About Dance
From Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day comes a word with an interesting history. Read about it here.

Come Along
These are the lyrics to an excellent WalkDance song.

Exercise
Read about some of the benefits of exercise, physical and emotional.

Where To Tap
If you were going to only choose one thing to change in your life that would make the biggest difference to the most areas of your life, what would you choose? According to the research, there is only one answer.

America's Running (or WalkDancing) Routes
Using cutting edge technology provided by Google Maps, USATF has developed a revolutionary service, America's Running Routes, that allows runners to map and measure their favorite running routes and then save them to the largest searchable database of running routes in the country.

The Original WalkDance Class
See a photo of the first ever WalkDance class.

Klassy's WalkDance Debut in Local Paper
Columnist Patti Payne wrote about Klassy WalkDancing the 2001 Danskin Triathalon.

Exercise Beats Depression
A study by the Black Dog Institute showed that "people who have suffered clinical depression believe that of all the therapies and techniques (not including drugs and psychotherapies) it is exercise that helps the most, followed by yoga/meditation, relaxation and massage."

WalkDancing is Good For Your Brain
Studies show dancing is better for your brain the other kinds of exercise because it engages more parts of the brain and strengthens the connections between them. 

WalkDance.com Started in August, 2000
See the record in WhoIs.


I went to church, but God wasn't there;
I said everybody's prayers
Till something deep inside me cried,
"I need the beat to be satisfied."
I got off my knees and on my feet
Took my rock 'n' roll prayers back on the street.
I gotta dance,
Gotta dance.

Gabrielle Roth

WalkDancing is Good For Your Brain

Dancing is complex. It engages different parts of the brain at the same time, says the cognitive scientist, Helena Blumen. And because of this, it beefs up the neural connections between diverse brain regions. Dancing is really challenging to the brain. And it’s also fun.

In a study by German researchers using MRI scanners, they compared elderly people who had done one of two exercise programs – one was the standard kind of thing with strength training and cycling. The other group danced.

Both groups improved their physical fitness, of course, but the dancers had measurably and significantly increased the size of the parts of their brains related to attention, high-level thinking, and working memory – the areas of the brain that usually shrink as we get older. 

In blood tests, the people who danced also had an elevated level of BDNF. This stimulates brain growth, especially in areas responsible for memories. BDNF causes the creation of new brain cells, and energizes the processes that maintain the good health of already-existing brain cells. BDNF also helps your brain preserve and maintain its hundreds of billions of dendrites and synapses (the connections between brain cells). In other words, increasing your blood level of BDNF is a big deal.

That makes dancing a big deal.

Learn more about reversing dementia here.

WalkDance Playlist on YouTube

We've got a playlist on YouTube with songs we've found especially good for WalkDancing. Check it out here:

WalkDance Playlist on YouTube

And when you find a song you like for it, leave it in the comments and maybe we'll add it to the list.

WalkDance Debut

I'm Klassy's husband, and I watched her bring something new into the world yesterday. The Danskin Triathlon is the biggest women's triathlon in the country. First a half mile swim, then a twelve mile bike ride, and then a three mile run.

But Klassy didn't run. She WalkDanced the three miles, being cheered the whole way by people who had never seen anyone WalkDance before. As she danced by, I overheard one man say to his daughter, "She sure is having fun. And nobody else seems to be." I don't know if anyone else was having fun, but Klassy was having a ball. She was jamming to music, moving her body in a free self-expression, and finishing her first triathlon in style.

The reason I say she brought something new into the world is because most of us have never put on headphones and danced down the street. It would seem freaky, and in fact, sometimes Klassy gets strange looks. But the same thing happened when people first started jogging. Up until then, if someone was running down the street, something was wrong: They were being chased by a cop or trying to keep their child from being run over by a car.

The strange looks will fade, and then we will have a new form of exercise, one that is physically and psychologically better for your health than anything going. And it is more fun.

WalkDancing is low-impact exercise, and it works peripheral muscles. Straight-ahead exercises like running or walking only work muscles along a narrow corridor. In fact, this imbalance in muscle development can cause problems down the road. WalkDancing works the whole body in balance.

Psychologically, I don't think there is a better activity. WalkDancing raises a person's spirits, sometimes dramatically. It is the only thing I know that can so consistently produce a peak experience. Feeling ecstasy may seem frivolous to you, but it is very important for psychological health. Abraham Maslow, in his studies on exceptional people, found that self-actualized people had more peak experiences than the rest of the population. In a way, the ecstasy can open a person to better ways of experiencing the world, bestowing strength and sanity to the WalkDancer. It is not a slight thing.

And finally, freedom. WalkDancing is an demonstration of freedom from our normal self-suppression. By demonstrating that a person can express herself that way in public, I saw Klassy open the possibility for others. Near the end of the race, as Klassy WalkDanced toward the finish line, another woman was running up behind her, and when she saw what Klassy was doing, she did a short dance herself, twirled around, and kept running. That is the beginning. Some of the people watching or participating yesterday will recognize that what Klassy was doing looks like a lot of fun, and what's the hurry? They will ask themselves, "Would it be better to beat last year's time or would I rather fully enjoy this wonderful event?" Many people will opt for enjoyment and some of them will have enough courage to WalkDance, down the street, around the park, and in the next triathlon.

Others will see them and try it themselves. Eventually, it will become something familiar, and this new form of exercise, this new freedom in self-expression, this new way to create peak experiences on demand, will become a common feature on our streets, radiating happiness into the world. As the announcer said when Klassy crossed over the finish line, "That's the way to do it!"

How to WalkDance

1. Make playlist of your favorite danceable music.

2. Put on headphones and hit the street. Don't walk, don't jog, DANCE down the street, moving and shuffling and spinning around, simply enjoying moving your body to the music.

3. If you're a little shy at first, you can do it at home, cruising around the house, moving your body into a state of pleasure. When you get out on the street, just move a little at first, getting used to the sensation of enjoying your exercise in public.

4. The best music for WalkDancing is 80 to 100 beats per minute. You'll find out as you do it what works best. It's got to be slow enough you can keep up with it but energetic enough that it makes you want to dance. Preferably with lyrics you resonate with. Here are our top choices for great WalkDancing songs (many of which are on our YouTube play list here):

So What The Fuss
Stevie Wonder

It's All The Way Live
Coolio

Hope
Shaggy

Come Along
Titiyo

Walking Away
Craig David

The Storm Is Over Now
R. Kelly

Hey Mr. DJ
Backstreet Boys

Larger Than Life
Backstreet Boys

El Paraiso Rico
Deetah

Can I Touch You There?
Michael Bolton

If I Let You Go
WestLife

Oops I Did It Again
Britney Spears

Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely
Backstreet Boys

I Want It That Way
Backstreet Boys

Baby One More Time
Britney Spears

While You Were Gone
Kelly Price

California Love (original version)
2Pac

Happy Nation
Ace of Base

Stayin' Alive
Bee Gees

Esperando
Santana

Hold Me Now
The Thompson Twins

If It All Ended Tomorrow
John Cena and Tha Trademarc

You Rock My World
Michael Jackson

Can't Fight The Moonlight
LeAnn Rimes

Take It Easy
Travis Tritt

I Know
Destiny's Child

Watch Your Step
Anita Baker

Meet In The Middle
Diamond Rio

Someday
Nickleback

Come Together
Michael Jackson

Caribbean Queen
Billy Ocean

Chale Chalo
A.R. Rahman, Srinivas

Play That Funky Music
Wild Cherry

Draggin' The Line
R.E.M.

Let us know what you find works best: WalkDancer.

What a First-Time WalkDancer Said About the Experience

We received this comment via email:

"It was FUN! I feel energized. I was outside for 40 minutes, the last 10 without my weights. I shuffled, swished, walked, swizzled, skipped, kicked, twirled, and had a lot of fun. I scared the hell out of my horses, but they stopped running and just watched this crazy woman after awhile. I have a Country Walk Weight Watchers tape, which was boring to me just walking, but I found it to be a great beginner's WalkDance tape. It has warmup, stretch, and keeps you going through the 40 minute workout. It's country, as in hee-haw type music, but I like all kinds of music so it works for me. Anyhow, I haven't had that much fun working out in a really long time, maybe ever. I'm looking forward to my next WalkDance workout."

Recommended WalkDance Songs

The best music for WalkDancing is 80 to 100 beats per minute. You'll find out as you do it what works best. It's got to be slow enough you can keep up with it but energetic enough that it makes you want to dance. Preferably with lyrics you resonate with. Here are our top choices for great WalkDancing songs:

So What The Fuss
Stevie Wonder

It's All The Way Live
Coolio

Hope
Shaggy

Come Along
Titiyo

Walking Away
Craig David

The Storm Is Over Now
R. Kelly

Hey Mr. DJ
Backstreet Boys

Larger Than Life
Backstreet Boys

El Paraiso Rico
Deetah

Can I Touch You There?
Michael Bolton

If I Let You Go
WestLife

Oops I Did It Again
Britney Spears

Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely
Backstreet Boys

I Want It That Way
Backstreet Boys

Baby One More Time
Britney Spears

While You Were Gone
Kelly Price

California Love (original version)
2Pac

Happy Nation
Ace of Base

Stayin' Alive
Bee Gees

Esperando
Santana

Hold Me Now
The Thompson Twins

If It All Ended Tomorrow
John Cena and Tha Trademarc

You Rock My World
Michael Jackson

Can't Fight The Moonlight
LeAnn Rimes

Take It Easy
Travis Tritt

I Know
Destiny's Child

Watch Your Step
Anita Baker

Meet In The Middle
Diamond Rio

Someday
Nickleback

Come Together
Michael Jackson

Caribbean Queen
Billy Ocean

Chale Chalo
A.R. Rahman, Srinivas

Play That Funky Music
Wild Cherry

Draggin' The Line
R.E.M.

Let us know what you find works best: WalkDancer.