Have you ever wondered if you really could lose weight and get in shape with just bellydancing? Me, too, and now I plan to find out!
You see, I’ve never really known the answer to this question.
As a professional bellydancer and instructor, I also can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this question over the years by hopeful students and audience members alike who were desiring a fun and sensual way to exercise. What I can tell you is that it was presumed that bellydancing was keeping me trim and fit by those inquiring.
Sure, you can burn a few hundred calories bellydancing. But the truth is, I have never just been a bellydancer!
Though bellydance has played a large role in my adult life and in my physical fitness in general, I have always mixed other movement arts into my regimen.
Yoga, CrossFit, weight lifting, walking/hiking/jogging, salsa dancing, horseback riding—all of these activities have been just as important to me as bellydance at times. And combined, they have kept me physically balanced and in peak shape over the years.
Moving Changed My Moving
The last few years have been drastically different, though.
After moving to Hawaii in 2015 and working completely different hours than my previous 9 to 5 routine, I suddenly found it more difficult to plan my days in such a way that consistently fit exercise classes into my schedule.
I was also not going out on the trails as frequently as before, either, because I didn’t have an equine connection or even a dog to walk. Additionally, I found myself not dancing or performing as much as I had been back in New Mexico.
For the first time in my life, exercise was turning up last on my to-do list while I kept promising myself to make sure to do it the next day!
In less than two years, this lack of regular movement (plus a new habit of eating more dessert ?) brought on a slow-but-steady weight gain of 15 pounds! Both this and my recent pregnancy at the age of 40, have left my body weakened and out-of-shape on a level that is unfamiliar and quite uncomfortable to me.
I am fuller and softer now which, metaphorically, I don’t entirely mind. I do love knowing that my body has the power to create and sustain life, and my extra weight does add a lot more oomph to my shimmies ?. But deep down, I still long to get my strong, lean, and fit body back.
My New Reality
With having a baby to take care of full-time, the days that I could just run out to the barn for open-ended rides, drop in to a CrossFit class right after work, and/or dance freely to my heart’s content feel somewhat out of reach.
Honestly, anything that I actually get to do for my body feels like a luxury at this time because it has to be planned into my day with such precision (and that is if I am lucky enough to have a cooperating baby!).
I am also sitting a lot more these days while working on my computer from home and nursing my little one, compounding the feeling of guilt that I am not moving enough.
Three cheers for breastfeeding, though! ? At the time of this writing (and in these photos), I am 7 months postpartum and have already burned off the 45 pounds I gained during my pregnancy with the help of nursing! My focus now is shedding the extra 15 pounds that I gained prior and, most importantly, to just get moving again so that I can feel like myself.
This dilemma of not being able to prioritize movement and dance feels like it will just spin out of control, though, if I don’t do something drastically different ASAP!
Being a new mom really is the most taxing job, so I am literally taking things one day at a time and trying not to be hard on myself. As the old sayings go, “you can have everything in life, just not all at the same time” and “this too shall pass,” right? Yet, to honor my body’s daily physical needs, I know it is time to make some new routines.
Which brings me to the goal of this post:
Since it has been near impossible for me to do all of the other fitness activities that I love, I feel like I am in the sweet spot at this moment in time to really test out if bellydance (in and of itself!) can help me lose the weight I want to shed and get back into the shape I desire. I hope to authentically answer this age-old question once and for all!
My Personal Challenge
I am committing to bellydance as my primary exercise everyday for the next month.
I plan to create meaningful routines that can be ritualized for ease of experience and incorporation into my daily life, and I will record my process plus share my journey (and results!) with you all, too.
Please wish me luck ?and stay tuned!
Update:
I completed my 28-day bellydance challenge spanning the 4 weeks of November 18–December 15, 2018! During the challenge, I only used bellydance as my main mode of exercise and aimed to dance for an hour every day.
I was able to dance approximately 5 hours each week totaling about 20 hours of dancing during this 28-day journey back to fitness. I drilled isolations and combinations, and I also danced full routines to keep things interesting. I recorded my process through a 10-part video series on YouTube that you can watch here.
Through this personal experiment, I discovered that you absolutely can lose weight and get in shape using just bellydance for exercise if you commit to dancing a lot!
I documented my findings by weighing myself before and after (as well as in between ?), and I took before and after measurements of my chest, waist, hips, arms, and legs, too.
Not only did I lose several pounds (a total of 5 over the 4 weeks!), I also dropped down 3 inches at my true waist! This reduction surprised and delighted me more than the actual weight loss for this kind of physical transformation is what I really wanted to see.
Now I can confidently vouch for bellydancing as a fantastic exercise for losing weight and getting in feminine shape if practiced often!
No, you probably won’t get the same results I experienced by taking just one class a week, but if you are willing to dance daily, I know you will be pleased by the transformation of your body over time.
I hope this inspires you to try bellydancing as your regular exercise routine or at least as a supplement to your other routines. I can also help you with your personal dancing goals. Please visit my classes page for more information about my regular offerings. ?
Disclaimer:
I know it should go without saying, but my opinions and personal experiences shared in this post are not intended as medical advice. Please do consult with your health care provider before starting any new physical fitness routine.
Although bellydance is a low impact exercise and is suited for bodies of all ages and shapes, it does involve some movements that may not be appropriate for where you are on your fitness journey when first starting out. Studying with a reputable teacher who can help you with technique and modifications is ideal, especially if you are new to the dance form.
Also, our bodies, our food intake, and our metabolisms are all individual, so do realize that your results may vary from those that I experienced in this challenge.