Issue 20 April to June 2005 $7.50
Middle Eastern Dance issn 14418282
Liza El Laziza
A new Rose
Teacher Overload
Use by Date
Tribal Corner
schedule - teaching 3 classes a week, performing every weekend - I was prone to injury. The last straw was watching a video of my performance in Sydney a couple of years ago. I looked tired and was struggling. Of course when you're fatigued your posture and technique eventually suffer. I was horrified! So I joined a gym. When was I going to fit this in? I get up 5.30 every morning, work a nine hour day in a stressful environment, teaching and performing - aaaahhhhh!! Solution - personal trainer. Someone to do the thinking for me, to tell me what to do for a change, to advise and motivate me to get fit and healthy the right way. My trainer Greg Balfour, was instrumental in keeping my motivation alive for these past 18 months and his advice was invaluable. He now jokes that I should wear a t-shirt with 'Body by Greg' written on it with his mobile number! (In diamantes of course! Actually I don't think he is joking!) From the very first session he stressed that I shouldn't look at this as a diet, but as a life change. 'Diet' in Latin, after all, does not mean starve yourself; it does actually mean a life change. Everyone has to adopt a regime that suits his or her lifestyle. As a dancer, it made sense that I joined a gym. If this was going to be a life change then it had to be done in a way that was realistic and achievable, and of course, sustainable. My basic regime was weight training (30min sessions) twice a week with Greg and 20mins of cardio three times a week on my own, plus whatever dancing I did on top of that. I never realised the benefit of weight training until it was explained to me and until I started noticing the results. Not only does it increase your metabolism and therefore burn fat more efficiently but it obviously improves your strength, which is paramount as a dancer and of course tones you up. What I lost in body fat I gained in strength. My cardio sessions varied between power walking, aerobic classes at the gym and cycling going at such a pace
that would elevate my heart rate. Music was a great source of inspiration. My i. pod was certainly worth its weight in gold. I've choreographed some of my best pieces whilst cycling! However, I had to restrain myself from undulating and shimmying whilst cycling - not a good look! Ok, next step - diet plan! That ugly word again. For fat loss to be achieved, you need to swallow a little green pill.... no just kidding! Wouldn't that be wonderful! Basically we are what we eat. Coming from a culture where eating and the preparation of food was a priority, it was going to be hard. I thought about the foods that I enjoyed the most and devised ways that I could make them less in fat. I basically made sure that I ate well during the week (five or six meals a day) and treated myself on weekends. Having a treat day is important, not only psychologically but also metabolically. If you've restricted your caloric intake, your body recognises the increase and works harder to burn it because you've increased your metabolic rate through exercise. Then there's the carbohydrate versus protein myth. Oh too hard! I certainly increased my protein intake and decreased my starchy carb intake but I never cut them out completely. I ate more complex carbohydrates in vegetables etc and restricted them to the earlier part of the day. So there you have it - easy peasy japaneasy! Not really. It was hard work and I needed to make it a priority for me and remain committed. Knowledge is useless unless you have the motivation to utilize it. Consistency is the key, which is why I had to make it sustainable. Certainly there were times when I hit a plateau and just couldn't be bothered. But so what, I was in no hurry. I didn't want to deprive my self completely of the things in life that I enjoyed. I had set goals but kept them 'loose' and adapted to them whatever was happening in my life at the time. I thought of new ways to spice up my regime (excuse the pun!) to keep it interesting and enjoyable.
I'm now at the stage where I'm happy with my size and fitness level, but my journey is still not over. Maintenance is just as hard if not harder than the actual weight loss process. But I've done it in a way that I enjoy and thrive on it. I personally feel my dancing has improved ten fold. I'm stronger, fitter and healthier. Every now and again I get the 'but you were fine before' comment. Initially these comments angered me, thinking that these people didn't understand the importance of this to me. But everyone is different and one has to be happy in his or her own skin so to speak. The physical changes are obvious, but I cannot begin to explain nor is there enough space in this article to explain what it has done psychologically. All I can say is that, I feel like I'm flying, undulating and shimmying along the way. •
18 months ago and 25 kilos heavier than I am today
A recent photograph with my trainer Greg
Bellydance Oasis Issue 20
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