I have admired these fabulous women for a long time and as I love to dance have on the odd occasion tried to mimic this art form. But today I really gave it a go and it really got me sweating it out and I enjoyed it so much!

I know a few people on the boards do it ( aphil the mod does) but I was wondering if anybody of you have done this regularly and as a form of exercise how effective is it? I really dont have the money or confidence to attend a belly dance class YET but I'm definitely going to give it a go at home and who knows in the future..?

I did belly dancing for a while. It gave me a great confidence boost too! It always got my heart rate up but was never so hard I needed to take a breather. The lessons I signed up for were $100 for 8 weeks. I say go for it. Actually now that you mention it maybe I'll sign up for them again this fall.

When first learning, it's not much of a workout, but once the basics are learned, it IS a workout!

There are DVD's that aim for a cardio and core abs workout with belly dance that aren't as traditional but are still fun and are a good workout.

Have fun with it! Belly dance is a womanly, powerful art form. (It's lovely when men do it too though ).

Soul I dont exercise half as much as I should, I go through phases of great motivation where i do alot but can be in slums for months. I wouldnt say I'm unfit but I'm not great and when I'm just shimmying about with basics I'm still really feeling it! Thanks for the info though girls, I think this is something I could really get into

I live in Iowa City, IA, and if there's a belly dancing studio here, I think there'd be one in a bigger city.... Belly dancing is super fun! i took a class last year and lost a bunch of weight AND started feeling better about my curves. if you are curvy, belly dancing is so sexy! also, skinny chicks who try to belly dance look silly.

This is a GREAT idea!!!!! I'm going to look in to this for the last few months of summer. Just one more thing to surprise the boyfriend with! Excellent idea!

Anything to add fun to a work out works!

There is a show on fit tv called Shimmy, belly dancing lessons..I did my first one today..It was fun and felt like a bit of a workout, although I need to do more than just that.

I'd so do this if I lived in the US but I dont. What about dvds - do you think one would be worth a try? I dont want to buy one and find I have no idea what I'm doing or that it was a bad buy. Hmmm.

I know you can buy th DVDs for the show Shimmy online, although they may be the wrong region for you...It's seems like fun though and gets you moving

Dancing (of any kind) can be nearly no exercise or extremely strenuous. I think you can usually tell by how much you sweat and how sore you are the day after (and the real test, the dreaded day after the day after).

Also, the great thing about dancing, especially when you're in your own home - technique often isn't that important. Just enjoy yourself, and if you can work up the nerve, share it with someone special.

Soon after my hubby and I first were married, (keep in mind, we were both close to our heaviest on our wedding day, our combined weights probably exceeded 800 lbs) I did a sexy strip tease for him. I have to admit that I intended it mostly as a joke (I mean how sexy can you feel peeling down to granny panties and running shoes). Let's just say that his reaction was so positive it led to many more dances.

When I hear women talk of being afraid to be "sexy" until they have a perfect body, I've often share this story (despite the disturbing mental images it might create). Trying to be sexy, is sexy - even at 400 lbs. Don't get me wrong, it's alot scarier to make that first move the more baggage you carry (though the mental baggage is a lot heavier than the physical), but it's worth it, because it does wonders for making you feel strong and sexy. And I think the mental step is the hardest.

Shimmy is a GREAT show! I do that workout all the time and you can also go to ebay or even walmart or ross and find belly dancing DVD's.

Belly dancing is great fun. I've done it for several years. My problem is, I can't find daytime or weekend classes to fit my 2nd shift schedule. It's really addictive and I'm considering changing jobs just so I can do it again! YES, do it.

EDIT: A group class may be better than solo for many reasons. Not saying that solo is a bad thing, but it's a good idea to take at least 1 group class a week to learn 1) POSTURE (very important so you don't hurt yourself and a DVD or internet video can't walk over and help correct something that could get you hurt), 2) meet people and compete (silently). It's always fun to have a mock dace-off with another girl in your class, even if she doesn't know she's competing with you.. LOL! 3) Motivation to KEEP GOING despite the burning thighs, butt, arms and sides!