Belly Dancing is Great For Everyone

Belly dancing is great for lots of reasons, not just the obvious ones! One of the best reasons to belly dance is if you want to lose a bit of weight. It’s fantastic fun and it can burn those calories at the same time. You’ll have a trim tum in no time at all and you’ll have enjoyed every minute of it. Here’s a quick guide to using belly dancing to help you get or stay fit.

Belly Dancing for Weight Loss

Belly dancing has got to be one of the best ways to lose weight, firm and tone your body. Dancing in general has never been more popular, as evidenced by the many dancing themed popular TV shows. Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and the like have revived an interest in dancing. At the same time, weight loss makeover programs like The Biggest Loser, Bulging Brides, and Ten Years Younger also surged in popularity. Belly dancing combines the two: weight loss and dancing.

You’ve Seen Shimmy on Fit TV

Not to be outdone by ballroom, hip hop, contemporary, swing, or jazz, the ancient art of belly dancing also has a television show of its own. Shimmy, which airs on the satellite and cable channel Fit TV, takes viewers through a half-hour belly dancing lesson, led by exotic beauties Shivaun, Adalat, Dominique, Gillian, Karen, Manon, and Simone. The dancers break steps down, starting very slowly until the dancer following along at home gains confidence in her abilities to learn the moves. Gradually the pace increases, and soon the home viewer is belly dancing in her own living room.

The Pace of the Show is Perfect

Every episode of Shimmy begins with a dancer-led warm-up that gets your muscles ready for the workout to come. Next comes a section devoted to instruction. Home viewers learn four to six movements that put the hips, thighs, glutes, and abs through a vigorous workout. Belly dancing has never been so much fun, as the home viewer learns a complete routine.

A performance section follows the teaching. Viewers can dance along, using moves they just learned, or sit back and watch. The beautiful dancers in their flowing scarves and colorful costumes paint a vivid picture of this ancient dance. A no-holds-barred, freestyle session closes out every episode, with hips pumping, shoulders shimmying, and fingers flying.

Calorie Burning Can Be Fun

Belly dancing burns about 250 to 300 calories per hour, so dancing your way through an episode of Shimmy will consume 125 to 150 calories. After twenty-three belly dancing sessions, you will have danced enough to lose an entire pound. Building muscle in your core and midsection is key to reducing the buildup of troublesome belly fat—the most dangerous kind of fat there is.

Belly dancing builds the core muscles that surround the spine. Regular belly dancing will whittle your waistline in record time. Check your local cable or satellite listings to see if you get Fit TV in your area, and find out when Shimmy is on. When the time comes, start shimmying and toning your way to fitness with belly dancing.