#MondayMambo: Get Moving With Mr.Steam

Ready to try something new this Monday? We promise you'll feel a lot better and be more productive all day long with #MondayMambo so you get moving and grooving with Mr.Steam.

Simply get on your feet and move! All it takes is 5 minutes for some fun and fitness during your busy work day. A little movement throughout your day is just as much a part of a healthy lifestyle as is a daily steam shower. 

According to Selena Yeager of Women's Health Magazine,

"Dancing can boost your brain power, improve your outlook, grow your social circle, and protect your most important organs... even if you have no rhythm".

Bottom line, dance and movement make you happy especially on a Monday! So, why not try #MondayMambo?

Yeager elaborates,

"Just one lively dance session can slay depression more than vigorous exercise or listening to upbeat music, according to a study in The Arts in Psychotherapy." 

Movement + Music = #MondayMambo Magic!

There are plenty of benefits involved with mere dancing alone, however music can also be key to a healthy lifestyle.

The Mayo Clinic featured an article by R.N. Sheryl M. Ness titled "Turn on the music and soothe your soul" from the Living With Cancer Blog. The article listed several health benefits attributed to listening to music. More specifically, 

• It can improve communication.

• Listening to music can improve your memory.

• It definitely encourages you to move around actively (aka dancing!).

• It alleviates sensations of pain.

• It makes you feel better (i.e., "counteracts depression").

• Music makes you feel more relaxed.

• And, it is calming (i.e., music "promotes sleep").

When you read - according to Wikipedia's entry on Mambo - that "Cuban dancers would describe mambo as "feeling the music" in which sound and movement were merged through the body...", you begin to fully appreciate the essence of #MondayMambo.

Combine the sensation of a fun dance with the emotional fulfillment that music provides, and you start to unplug. Do it regularly throughout the day and you are on your way to having a truly productive day. 

Inc.com in an article titled "10 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Brain While You Work" discusses the science behind the brain and why it is necessary to disconnect every 90 minutes. Essentially, the brain functions from a high level of concentration for 90 minutes before reaching a level of lower concentration. "Herbert Benson of Harvard, author of The Relaxation Response, recommends working to the point where you stop feeling productive and start feeling stressed," writes the author, Geil Browning.

Ready to #MondayMambo? 

So, halt the work. Take a mini hiatus and #MondayMambo with Mr.Steam. You're not slacking on work, you're doing yourself - and work - a favor.

Here's how #MondayMambo works:

To help you disconnect and get moving and grooving, Martha Orellana of Mr. Steam has compiled a list of her favorite jams so you can begin the week with a new healthy lifestyle habit.  

• Put the phone down, halt the typing and stand up. Get your blood pumping to any (or all) song(s) with Martha Orellana's top picks on YouTube via the link posted on @steamtherapy #MondayMambo on Twitter. 

• That's right, move it, wiggle it, shake it, twist it or even do the robot as long as you're moving.

• We'll be reminding you, again and again, throughout the day via #MondayMambo on Twitter.

• After #MondayMambo, practice on your own the rest of the week. Start over the following Monday.

• Let us know how that 5 minute #MondayMambo helped you and your day.