How to Lose Weight With Belly Dance

Ready to try a new form of exotic exercise? Belly dance may be just the thing to keep you motivated to reach your weight loss goals. Belly dance is great cardiovascular exercise, and if you practice it vigorously, you can burn between 250 and 300 calories per hour. Combine your belly dancing with a sensible diet, and you'll see results.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Practice space
• Coin Sash
• Healthy Eating Habits
• Dance Class Membership/ Dance DVDs

1. 
    
   Jillina is one of the most graceful belly dancers, and one of the best teachers.

   FIND A TEACHER. First thing's first. If you want to learn belly dance, you should do a bit of research and find a good, credible teacher who will motivate and inspire you. The internet is a good place to start looking. Do a Google search for belly dance studios in your area, and when you find a couple, be sure to check teachers' credentials. The last thing you want is to learn belly dance from someone who herself learned it by watching DVDs. You want an expert who was trained by a professional; she will be someone who performs regularly and has a thorough understanding of the art and history of belly dance. A well-versed teacher will be more interesting for you learn from and will probably keep you motivated since you'll enjoy going to her classes so much.

2. MAKE A COMMITMENT. When you're satisfied that you've found a good teacher, take the plunge and sign up for classes. Going to a weekly class will likely keep you motivated to continue with your exercise, namely because you've paid for the class and you want to get your money's worth. Money is always a good motivator. But beyond wanting to get your money's worth, you may find other reasons to commit to your new belly dance regimen. Since belly dance is a female-centric art form, many women find themselves bonding with other classmates and making friends. You might just find an exercise buddy among the women in your class.

3. 
    
   Coin sashes are required equipment for belly dancers.

   TREAT YOURSELF. Part of the allure of belly dance is the costuming, and if you invest in some belly dance garb it may make you feel so fantastic that you'll want to wear it (and dance in it) all the time. If you buy nothing else, you should definitely invest in a coin sash. Coin sashes serve as teaching tools in addition to being fun and fabulous. Coin sashes run $15 to $100, but you don't have to spend a lot to get a good one. A good sash will be heavy and have a lot of coins and beads on it. A sash in the $30-35 dollar range will probably be best. You want your sash to be heavy because the weightier it is, the more easily it will be affected by your movements. There are certain times when you want to hear your sash making a certain sound; at other times, you'll be trying to isolate your body, and you will want to be sure that your sash is silent. This sash will be a teaching tool, and it'll help you hone your belly dance skills.

4. PRACTICE AT HOME. A typical belly dance class meets for one hour, one day a week. If you want to lose weight belly dancing, exercising during your one class per week isn't going to cut it. Most doctors recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of activity per day to maintain a healthy weight. So if you want to lose the pounds, you'll have to take what you learned in class and practice belly dance daily for 30 minutes to an hour. But remember that when it comes to your practice time, not all belly dance moves are created equal. Vigorous shimmies and traveling moves that involve the major leg muscles will burn the most calories.

5. 
    
   Eating healthy will aid your weight loss.

   EAT RIGHT. Diet is a big part of any weight loss plan. Sensible eating combined with your regular belly dance exercise will help you reach your target weight. Exercising alone isn't going to be enough.

Tips & Warnings

• Getting out of the house to take classes with a professional belly dancer is much more beneficial than trying to learn the dance by watching DVDs. While there are thousands of "learn to belly dance" DVDs, not one of them can compare to face-to-face instruction. A DVD can only talk to you, never with you. A live teacher's interaction will keep you motivated and interested in your exercise, not to mention that she'll be able to actually see how you're moving and give you tips on how to improve your dancing.
• If you absolutely cannot take dance classes with a professional, try buying DVDs from Jillina or Ansuya. They are both excellent teachers with high-quality DVDs. Their DVDs are available at most major bookstores or online.
• One of the biggest benefits of belly dance is that it makes women feel great about their bodies. Belly dance is a female dance, and its moves are designed for the feminine body. Learning how to master belly dance and move your body in a way that feels good will make you feel better about yourself. And when you feel better about yourself, you're more likely to want to take care of yourself by continuing your diet and exercise.
• Don't tell yourself that you're "too old," "too big," or "not good enough" to belly dance. Belly dance is for every woman.

Resources

• Belly Dance Superstar Jillina
• Belly Dance Superstar Ansuya
• Atlanta Belly Dance is one of the largest belly dance studios in the world and also one of the best sites on the web for belly dance info
• Shira's website is also a great source of information on everything belly dance, including weight loss

[Merriment]

on 4/21/2009 I have often thought of using Belly Dance as a form of exercise to shape up and lose weight. I just need to get out of thinking about it and doing something about it. Thank you for the inspiration!

[shirleydee]

on 3/1/2009 I've take belly dance lessons and really enjoyed them. I don't have a teacher but need to get going by using a DVD (I have a couple). Thanks for the great info. 5*

[mistymq]

on 2/24/2009 I actually took a belly dancing class with my daughters a few years back. It was a blast! We also found some great video's to help us practise at home. And the music was a must have. Thanks for reminding me how fun exercise can be.

[blj7150]

on 2/18/2009 Great article and worth a try. 5*

[Fleurzty]

on 1/25/2009 Fabulous article!