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.

Instructions

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.