Is belly dancing a good way to lose weight?

Question

There's a belly dancing studio near my new house and I was thinking about going there but I am not really into dancing. I'd only do it if I knew it was going to help me lose weight and feel better about myself. Anyone who has belly danced, did you find that it helped you lose weight and tone up?

Answer 1

What you get out of bellydance depends on what you put into it. If you do not really like dancing and just want to lose weight then you would probably be better off looking for a pilates class or an aerobics class of some sort. Bellydance can be extremely helpfull in losing weight and toning if do it enough. Most people will have slow results from 1-2 hour classes once a week. Speaking from a medical point of view if you want to lose weight you should be exercising 3-4 days a week for at least 30 minutes each time (3-4 days a week at 1 - 1 1/2 hours is even better). As long as you can raise you heartrate enough you will eventually lose the weight. The more exercise you do and the more frequently it is done the more weight you will lose in less time. Bellydancing is great for this if your really into it because you will find yourself dancing at home frequently to the point that you are getting that 3-4 days a week for at least 30 min. If you focus on certain bellydance moves you can target certain problem areas but no matter what your body will tend to burn fat evenly from all parts of the body, causing all around slimming. The toning however comes from the building of muscle mass which you will aslo get by practicing isolations and strengthening exercises. Bellydance (like all dances and also pilates aka the "dancer's workout") works on giving you long lean muscles which is generally considered more appealing on a woman than the bulky muscleman type muscles. However like I said in the beginning if your really not that into bellydance or dancing in general I would recommend a different exercise regimen for you. First of all if you don't like dancing or if you don't like bellydancing specifically you will lose interest in the class and be less likely to practice at home. Secondly if you don't enjoy it your not going to feel better about yourself becuase you will be forcing yourself to do something you really don't care for. As far as feeling better about yourself this will tend to happen no matter what exercise you do. However bellydance in particular, from what I've noticed, can be even better for improving your own disposition. Bellydancers often form into a small community in which there is a strong sense of sisterhood and belonging. For some this is a bigger draw than the dancing itself! This sisterhood can greatly improve how you feel about yourself as these "sisters-in-dance" will frequently compliment you on how well you did this or that move and how much they like your new hip belt or even wow you look great you've definately toned up or lost weight, etc... these fellow women can provide an infinate amount of support and caring that can often brighten a rather dull or lousy day. I have yet to experience quite the same connection from any other dance form (not that it absolutely does not exist but I had never been in any other class where I felt so included). However even if you don't seek out the sisterhood aspect of it you will still feel better simply because exercise will release endorphines into your bloodstream which will naturally make you feel good. This is why there are many runners who run for miles on end just to get that endorphine rush. You will also feel better about yourself when you are seeing result. So I guess if I were you I'd try it out but if you don't like dancing even after the first few classes I would suggest looking for an exercise program tha you are interested in and will be able to hold your attention for a longer period of time.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Belly Dancing Exercises Weight Loss

Answer 4

It can help you lose weight. It depends upon how much time and effort you expend practicing, especially outside of class time. Regardless of whether or not you lose weight you should feel better about yourself. Belly dance isn't like most Western dance styles. You don't have to learn alot of different steps, as in where you have to move your feet. The dance is focused within the torso. Your muscles will definitely get a workout. When you first learn new movements you'll definitely feel it. Since many moves are learned by working on isolation, you will learn to appreciate your body and how it works. I've been studying belly dance for over 6 years now. It's helped me through some really difficult emotionally trying times because our group is there for one another and we support each other through thick and thin. We have become sisters in dance.

Answer 5

Belly dancing is great exercise and burns many calories, which should help you lose weight in combination with a healthy diet. You hold your arms up a lot, so it tones your arms very well. It is great for your legs, too, because it involves either bent knees or tippy-toes a lot of the time. It can be way more exhausting than it looks and way more difficult than it looks but it's really fun. I would say it's a great way to help you lose weight if you like Arabic music and you think you might have fun with it. if you really dislike dancing then you will probably not end up doing it often enough to lose weight. Then maybe yoga or speed walking would be a good alternative. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.

Answer 6

I belly danced for a performance at my school, we had like one lesson a week and that lasted like two or three months and I noticed that my abs were getting strengthened and the basic belly dance position worked on my legs, as well as many of the moves. Anyone who has a chance to do it, do it!! It's fun, you're exercising and it's sexy, without making you look like those people who dance in clubs and we all know what they look like. I had a blast. Coming from me, a person who had never danced and didn't really know how I would take to it, that's a pretty big definitely.

Answer 7

Best Belly Dancing Course!

Answer 8

Yes, and it requires very good muscle control. I go dancing for fun a couple of time a week and between that and the walking I do for work I have droped about 30 pounds in the last couple of years. But like anything else with weight loss you need to control your diet. Any exercise or activity that you do burns calories, the more you do and the longer you do it for a sustainded period of time, the more calories you burn. The less you eat, the more of the stored body fat that your body will start to burn off when you exercise.

Answer 9

I just responded to another similar question about belly dancing, and yes! Any dance will help you maintain a healthy weight. And it's fun. :)

These videos helped me stay fit at home:

http://268f92-9pioj5uewq7stk6ir-l.hop.clickbank.net/

Answer 10

I'm not completely sure, but there was a belly dance teacher at my old dance studio, and it stretched her stomach out alot, but other than that she was pretty trim. maybe if you didnt do the whole belly wave thing it would