The effects of a 2-hour physical exercise session using the oriental dance training mechanism on changes in selected indices of blood morphology

Introduction: Movement in combination with music, i.e. dance, is one of the most popular types of physical activity at all ages. Dance is a form of activity that differs in style and technique, and thus, energy consumptions during training are different. Under the name of oriental dance one can find: folklore, religious, ritual and popular dances that are associated with everyday life. In Polish and international literature on the subject, there are no studies in which changes in blood morphological properties of dancers practicing oriental style dance would be demonstrated. The results of laboratory tests published so far rarely describe the effect of dance on morphological blood indices, in addition, they are results for styles other than oriental dance. Study aim: The objective of the study was to demonstrate the effects of 2-hour physical exercise using the mechanism of oriental dance training on changes in selected quantitative indices of blood morphology in a group of young women. Materials and methodology: The study group consisted of 12 young women between the age of 20 and 35, with the average of 26.4±0.52 years, training oriental dance. Blood tests were performed twice: before and after the 2-hour workout. The dancers practiced a variation of oriental dance called shaabi, a high-intensity dance with a lot of jumping figures. Results: Analysing the average values of morphological indices before and after oriental dance training showed a statistically significant increase in WBC [109/L] by 23.28% and a decrease in RBC [10¹²/L] by 1.29%, HGB [g/L] by 1.00% and HCT [L/L] by 1.22% in the study group after the 2-hour oriental dance training session. Conclusions: The applied training influenced the results of blood indices in dancers participating in the study. Physical activity carried out in the form of dance causes quantitative changes in morphological blood indices.