Belly

Dance Like An Egyptian

Each week, Maria dons a brightly colored and elaborate costume consisting of a hip scarf, skirt, veil and coin belt. She dances exotically while spinning and swaying to Middle Eastern music. Maria, who wishes to not use her last name, refers to herself as a “belly dance artist.” She teaches a belly dance class twice a week at Minneola City Hall called Maria Gimme Shimmy. In addition, she performs professionally at birthday parties, wedding receptions, corporate events and restaurants throughout Central Florida.

Maria says belly dancing, which emphasizes movements of the pelvic and abdominal muscles, has numerous health benefits.

RATHER NOT SHIMMY TO GET SLIMMY?

• It’s a full-body workout that increases muscle tone, flexibility, balance and cardio.

• Lower and upper abdominal muscles are strengthened, which helps maintain the spine’s natural alignment.

• The subtle rhythms of belly dancing are calming, thus reducing stress.

• Improved self-image. The dance is mentally empowering to women and a great outlet for self-expression. They are not trying to arouse men, but rather express their femininity.

Lori Esarey, owner of Total Nutrition and Therapeutics, shares important tips about losing belly fat.

• Exercise: “Combining aerobic and resistance exercise leads to greater fat loss and larger increases in lean muscle mass than aerobic exercise alone. High-intensity interval training is surfacing as superior to steady-state aerobic training, even though it has a lower calorie burn in comparison to traditional aerobic exercise. In addition, short bursts of cycling increase the function of mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell that improves insulin signaling and fat burning.”

• Nutrition: “Avoid fructose, which contributes to increased fat storage in the liver and decreased insulin release. This results in higher triglyceride levels and causes increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and fatty liver disease. If a person is choosing to reduce belly fat, he or she must avoid sugar and, most importantly, all forms of fructose.”

Source: washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/05/29/the-newest-hottest-workout-recovery-beverage-hu