Awhile back I wrote an article for Ezine Articles entitled What Clothes Do Line Dancers Wear and,  the last time I checked, that article had been read by 3,371 people.  I received a lot of comments on that article and people kept asking me what was a good place to buy line dancing or country western clothing online.   I didn’t have an answer,  so I set out to see if I could find a good place, that was well respected and sincerely interested in their customers,  that I could recommend to my readers.

It took a while because there’s a lot of tacky (pun not intended) online “stores” out there and I didn’t find any place I felt comfortable recommending right away.

But,  I found a store that I really like, called  SHEPLERS-The World’s Largest Online Western Store.

Here are some of the reasons I like Sheplers:

• They carry the brand names I’m familiar with and trust, like Levis, Wranglers, Durango Boots, Tony Lama, Ariat, Old Gringo, Stetson, Dickies, and the list goes on;
• They have a great selection of Men’s, Women’s and Kid’s clothing;
• They carry everything from hats to belts to skirts for the ladies, to leather jackets;
• They have accessories, like purses and watches, and the even have a home decor section with bedding, shower curtains, even toys and many other things;
• I like their prices.

Their “Handshake Guarantee” says:

“If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply return it for a refund or exchange. It’s as easy as that. You have our handshake on it!” I like that!

It took me a while to find a company I really felt comfortable with, but this is it!

If you agree, or even if you don’t agree, let me know your thoughts!  Check out their website by clicking on the picture below. (Yes, this is an affiliate link)   They have some great sales!

Line Dance Clothes – Shepler’s Western Wear is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

We already know that line dancing, as a physical exercise, is good for our bodies. It’s also good for our brains because it raises the level of serotonin, which makes us feel good. People who run or jog call this a “runner’s high.”

And that’s great, but it doesn’t halt the loss of sharpness of our minds or increase our intelligence.

Some Studies. . .

A study done a few years ago, funded by the National Institute on Aging, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, set out to determine if there were specific activities, physical and/or mental, that would halt the loss of our “mental acuity” – mental sharpness – and/or possibly improve it.

They studied a variety of physical and mental activities and, of all the physical activities they included in their study, they found that the only one that helped reduce the risk of losing our mental sharpness was frequent dancing. Playing golf, riding a bicycle, running, jogging – none of these made the cut. But frequent dancing reduced the risk of deteriorating mental sharpness by a whopping 76%. It does this, in part, by rewiring the neural pathways in our brains that we have lost over time.

But what’s important to us, and addresses the question above, is that studies since then have shown that, not only does dancing reverse the loss of these neural pathways, it actually creates new pathways. So, even if you’re young and haven’t begin to have “brain fade”, you will benefit by getting more connections in your brain, which will not only give you reserves for later, but make you smarter now.

But There’s More. . .

But there’s more to improving your mental sharpness by line dancing than just getting out on the dance floor and mindlessly repeating the same old steps over and over. Further studies indicated that we must THINK. Thinking, problem solving, and split-second decision-making are some of the brain activities you need to do to improve, and/or repair, your brain.

When you are line dancing, you can do this the following ways:

• Dance with “style.” Add new steps, be creative, be spontaneous!
• Constantly learn new line dances and line dance steps. Challenge yourself.
• Teach line dance instructions to others. Pay attention to what your students are doing. Observe what’s easy for them and what’s hard. Change things to fit the moment. Stay flexible so you can make quick decisions based upon what’s going on.

Try These Ways to Increase YOUR Intelligence:

Here are some other ways to increase your intelligence, both temporary and permanent:

• Someone told me when I was very young that the best way to keep your brain from getting old was to always be learning something new. This has been proven over and over since then by many different studies. Take classes in subjects that interest you and challenge you. Never stop learning.
• Meditate, either the traditional way or with one of the new
  CD meditation programs. Either way, your neural pathways will begin to rewire themselves. This not only makes your brain sharper, you’ll find that you handle stressful situations much better.
• photo credit: Larry Page
• Listen to good classical music, such as Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven. This can temporarily improve your IQ.
• Exercise, as mentioned before. This increases the oxygen supply to your brain enabling you to think more clearly. Deep breathing does the same thing.
• Read more. Learn to speed read. Work crossword puzzles or other word games several times a week. Do anything that makes you think!

So, to answer the question, “Can Line Dancing Make YOU Smarter?” The answer is definitely “YES” as long as you engage your mind in your line dancing as well as your body!

Learn how Scooter Lee and Jo Thompson are helping Seniors become healthier with their non-profit organization, Dancing for the Dream here: Scooter Lee Loves Senior Citizens!

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

Can Taking Line Dance Instructions Make YOU Smarter? is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

Jamie Gant was not only interested in the fun of line dancing, but also the health aspects, and the story of how  and why he started Step In the Name of Life™ caught my interest.

Jamie’s grandmother was tired visiting a gym, walking, or doing other forms of exercise to stay healthy.  When she was at a Miami party, she saw a group of people line dancing and decided that she wished to attend a class to take some line dance instructions for the exercise.  She asked Jamie to accompany  her.

So they went to the classes and learned  to dance, but wanted a class nearer to their Carol City/Miami Gardens neighborhood. Since there wasn’t one, Jamie decided to start one and bring the residents of the area an interesting way keep active, have fun,  and get exercise.

But, he didn’t stop there.  He made it his mission to provide this style of dancing to as many cities and people as possible.   He wanted people to live longer, have fun,  and be healthier, so Step In The Name of Life™  was born.  Their goal:  Stepping Away Diabetes, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure & More™.

When I last looked at their website, there were more than 32 cities listed. Jamie Gant is no doubt doing his part to bring line dancin’ fun and good health to many people.

Below you will find the step sheet of the first line dance that Jamie’s grandmother saw at that party in Miami called “Homey Twist.”  It’s easy to learn and very addicting.  I do it all the time around my home.  It’s so much fun!!

I’ve also included a video with the music and a group from  Step In The Name of Life™ performing the dance.  Enjoy!!

Here’s the step sheet: HOMEY TWIST

And here’s the video:

Make sure to visit their website at:   Step In the Name Of Life™

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance DVDs or Videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

Homey Twist – More Line Dancin’ Fun! is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

Have you all been having a lot of line dancin’ fun this past year?  I certainly have, but I’ve also been working on a new project I wanted to share with you.

Do you want to be the person out there line dancing that everyone admires?  Do you want to look better than anyone else in those skinny jeans and close-fitting shirts, or in those cute, little short skirts the gals like to wear?

We all do, don’t we.  But time, poor eating habits, gravity, and a million other things cause us to pile on the pounds we don’t want and sometimes we just don’t know what to do about it.  Our self-consciousness could even keep us from going out line dancing – Heaven Forbid!!

So, you go to the internet and search “fat loss” or “fitness” or “how to lose weight quick” and you get overwhelmed with tons of different programs, all saying that their program is the newest, best, and sure-fire program to solve all your problems.

Don’t believe it.  A lot of it is just marketing hype meant to make your wallet or purse leaner, but not your body.

With this in mind, I started a new blog called Losing Body Fat in which I REVIEW several of the top weight loss and/or exercise programs online today. Some talk about how to lose abdominal fat because recent studies are showing that it can be harmful in many ways. Other programs teach you how to exercise to burn body fat.

I was VERY picky about which programs I included. They had to be backed up by research I could check out and actually written by a person I could contact with questions.  I met some really nice, honest people along the way!

So you won’t find some of the most popular “how to lose weight quick” programs on my list because I have no confidence in programs written “by committee” or those that don’t have any way for you to contact someone if you have a question.  If they just leave you hanging out to dry after they take your money, they WON’T be on my list!

If you click over to my new blog, Losing Body Fat, you will find a mini-review on the front page and a list with the links to the complete reviews for each program in the right sidebar, as well as a list of some articles you might find interesting. In fact, I am going to include a list of the reviews in the sidebar of this blog also to make it easier for you to see what’s included and to click over to any you want to check out.

The new blog is a work-in-progress so check back often if you don’t find something you like or, better yet, tell me which program you are interested in and I will take a good look at it and give you my honest opinion.

Here’s the link again:  Losing Body Fat

Take care and keep having that line dancin’ fun!

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance DVDs or Videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

Wanna Have the Hottest Body on the Dance Floor? is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!