Tired of spending hours with treadmill, riding crazily with stationery bike, or sprinting untill exhausted, why don't you choose another happier, funnier way to work out? This post from Bliss and Beauty suggest a new way: Belly Dance.
Belly Dance Fitness for Weight Loss: Too Hip is an intermediate cardio belly dance workout lead by the muscular, AFAA certified Fitness Instructor and award winning professional belly dancer, Rania.
Belly Dance Fitness for Weight Loss: Too Hip
This is not for beginners; you need to be familiar with basic belly dance moves. I didn’t know it was intermediate when I bought it (guess I didn’t read the back too well), but I have taken beginner lessons before so I can follow along well enough to get a good workout. I can’t do the walking, layered shimmy moves, but I do what I can. It’s a fun 35 minute workout, with a 10 minute bonus workout focused on isolations and drills. The workout is low impact, but since you are using your larger muscles (hips, buns, thighs, core) to execute the moves, you’ll get your heart rate up. That said, this isn’t my toughest cardio DVD by far, but it’s short and fun. There is no break down of the moves, Rania gets down to business right away, so even if you are familiar with the moves, you’ll look like a goof the first few times. You’ll also need a bit of room, which is a bit of a problem for me for some of the moves, but I work around it. I think the first two workouts in the series are more for beginners. Maybe once I take up belly dance lessons again this spring I’ll be able to “master” this workout.
(There also are two performances by Rania on the DVD)
Here’s a short clip (note: this only shows the easier moves):
I followed up this workout today with 10 minutes of core work on the ball (something I’ll write about in another post) and a few upper back strength moves for my bad rotator cuffs. Now I need to go refuel.
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