Strictly star Dianne Buswell talks about her love for helping others, staying positive, and her new Danceworks fitness classes with Gymondo…
Do you need dance experience to try your Gymondo Danceworks classes?
Dianne Buswell: ‘Definitely not, because the workouts are based on the exercises I do regularly to stay what I call “dance fit”. Obviously, I’m not dancing 24/7, 365 days a year, so between touring and Strictly, I still need to keep my body strong, nimble and flexible. Danceworks touches on every aspect of fitness, including strength, flexibility and cardio, but most importantly, I wanted it to be something that people really enjoy.
‘There are 10 high-energy workouts programmed across six weeks – suitable for beginners through to the more advanced – and the feedback so far has been great. People are really enjoying the challenge, and noticing the improvements they’re feeling in their bodies and mind.’
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Why did you want to share these Gymondo Danceworks workouts?
‘I love working out, but I also love helping other people. During lockdown, I would take Pilates, yoga, and dance classes live on my YouTube channel, and I got such a great response from people saying that I’d really helped them mentally as well as physically. It brings me so much joy to know I can help make others feel good.’
Why is dancing so good for fitness?
‘Dancing literally uses every part of your body. When I take somebody for their first dance lesson, they always message me the next day asking, “Am I meant to feel this sore?” But you don’t realise you’re working so hard at the time because you’re enjoying yourself so much. Moving our bodies to music is something that’s instinctive in us from a young age. It’s natural and exciting, and it’s still the same when we grow older.’
Related: Janette Manrara: ‘I’m just a girl who likes to dance!’
How do you maintain a positive mindset?
‘Obviously, as for everybody, you really do only see the good parts, but I’m just like anyone else. I have my down moments, too. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself, and I found that made me go into a downward spiral, so I now try not to put so much pressure on myself and only do things I think I’ll genuinely enjoy.
‘It’s about knowing exactly what you want in life and being true to that person or that thing you’re doing. If you’re doing something you love, your stress levels are automatically much lower than if you’re doing something you really don’t want to do. In terms of working out, I used to think I had to go to the gym and run on the treadmill for an hour, which I hated, whereas now I’ll do a form of exercise I actually enjoy.’
Do you have a mantra you live by?
‘I always say, “you’ll never know unless you give it a go”, because I like to try to challenge myself with different things. Sometimes, I don’t know if I can do something and I get a bit nervous, but then I tell myself there’s no harm in trying it. It’s okay to give something a go and fail, although I don’t like to say the word “fail” because I think you’ve just got to try it again. To me, you’re winning just by stepping out of your comfort zone.’
Gymondo’s six-week programme DANCEWORKS by Dianne Buswell is available now at gymondo.com. Flexible membership options from £9.99 a month or £59.90 for 12 months.
Words: Joanna Ebsworth | Photography: Gymondo
