Belly Dance Steps for Beginners

Belly Dance for Fitness

So working out at the gym three times a week doesn’t seem to excite you; now what? Instead of just working out at the gym, lifting weights and doing cardio, why not try to spice up your workout routine with belly dancing instead? Belly dancing offers a lot of fitness benefits to help stay fit, active and healthy.

Belly dancing helps with your posture and your balance while strengthening your entire body. The best thing is that even beginners can start belly dancing without any hesitation. There are plenty of great and easy steps found in classes, magazines and dvds that will help a beginner strengthen her glutes, abs, thighs, and hamstrings with ease. And as a person progresses, there are other steps you can take to make the workout faster and more intense.

Many women have trouble with really working out the core–abs and back–and their workout routine just doesn’t seem to target them. Belly dancing tones the abs and the back gently with each swing and flick of the hip and waist. Belly dancing is not just great cardio exercise; it really is excellent for the problem area (the core) as well.

Here are a couple simple belly dance fitness moves to get your body moving. First try the “Figure Eights” step. Start off my standing up straight, feet together, and arms out away from your body. Move your hip to the top right side and then to the lower right side and then do the same thing for the left side and bring your hips back to the center. Try to think that you are moving your hips in a figure eight.

Here’s your next belly dance fitness move: stand back in the starting position, feet together and straight posture. Put your arms out to each side and move your torso to the right and then to the left. After you have really relaxed your hips, move your hips to the right side, to the back, to the left and then to the front. You can start off slow and then gradually get faster and really work your hips.

Belly dancing is not only a great way to exercise, but it is really fun. If you are sick of the same old workout routine, why not try something a little different?