A bit about Belly Dancing (for Goil)

Goil asked about belly dancing, and if I find it's helping with weight loss.

The style of belly dance I do ("Urban Tribal Belly Dance with an Edge") is very active (more so than some of the other, slinkier styles, I think).

... ours is the North African Tribal belly dance style. This is a very funky and energetic style and draws on the wild party type of dancing in tribal celebrations.

(Shira's site is a good source of information on different kinds of belly dance)

A class with my teacher is definitely a good aerobic work out - I can tell because I'm red in the face and sweating for most of the time. Doing the video is not so active, more practising my moves and working on strengthening and stretching the right bits.

But the main thing is, I love doing it. I really look forward to my classes and am disappointed when I can't go. The music's great, my teacher's a star, we have fun. And I feel happier with my body (even tho I have to look at it wobbling in the full length mirrors for an hour) because I'm working with it and learning how to move it.

I think the most important thing is find activity/ies you love and will keep up. I know I wouldn't enjoy a conventional aerobics/step type class - I'd find it a chore to go (plus I hate the kind of hi-nrg music they always seem to play at classes, like wot my aquarobics teacher does), whereas I can't wait to be belly dancing. I do feel that the aerobic work out burns calories, and that it's also helping me to get my body into a nicer shape.