Search From Over 10,000
   Pages of Fitness Content!

Belly Dancing - Fun Exercises To Burn Calories & Get Fit

Over the past few years belly dancing has grown in interest with lessons becoming more readily available. In gaining popularity, like pole dancing, it has become an exercise class being introduced into the gyms. A fun form of exercise and sensuous art, there are many muscle groups triggered when doing the belly dance movements in repetition. Core is one of the areas which are stimulated by belly dance exercise. You can attain some nice vertical lines down the belly by incorporating this exercise into your regular workout program. Eliminate boredom by using this class to shock your system and stimulate more results especially if you are stuck in a rut and not seeing changes to your body but training hard. The body tends to respond best when you change things up every so often forcing it to adjust in turn showing fat loss, strength and other positive body changes.

The gyrating movements enhance partial squat positions; firm, core controlled rotations and extended arms also moving in a very controlled manner. In order to accomplish such fluidity and smooth transitions you must engage many muscles which include the ‘helper’ muscles not just those directly related to the movement.

Balance and coordination are also enhanced by belly dancing. The joints and connective tissue benefit greatly and in turn become much stronger and tolerant. This all equals slowing of aging. Typical issues such as the onset of various arthritis conditions or just the simple bad knee, back or hips will be prevented by doing some activity such as this.

Practice variations starting with a simple clockwise then counter clockwise hip revolution. Make sure your knees are slightly bent with knees NOT falling inward. Keep head, shoulders and chest up and use a mirror to work on making it look pretty! Control your timing with music to ensure you do not speed through the movements. Belly dance skills are done with upmost control and form which means you practice a lot and do not expect to get it right away unless you are well coordinated already but know that the challenge of each movement and the hours you put in for practice will all equal fat loss and conditioning results positively.

Once you can work with the hips more fluently then you can experiment with some arm and hand movements to enhance the workout. This will add more calories burned to your total and work with shaping and toning the arms, shoulders, back and chest.

Progress the time spent on the activity so that you are doing what you can tolerate safely but are adding time each sessions even if just a minute, so that you can comfortable do 45 mins to an hour. The next progression after that would be to up the intensity and maybe add a few new movements with kicks or squat motions mixed in.

Fancy body waves can be so much fun to learn, for the 80s babies it can also add some flashbacks!!! Make sure to take a good fun attitude to this class because it will tickle your tummy with giggles as you and the other classmates experience some good clean fun.

By Linda Cusmano