Last week I decided to take up belly dancing. After doing a bit of reading I found out that it's low impact, can burn up to 300 calories per hour, and actually works with the female body rather than against it like a lot of dance type exercise does. So I thought, Great!! I can do it in addition to my running.

Thankfully I've found Veena and Neena and their range of belly dance videos on youtube. They're a little annoying but very easy to follow.

A good point is that it's very relaxing, it stretches out all your muscles, and it seems to have helped me sleep better than I usually do (I sleep right through, without waking up, and I'm not exhausted next day). However...this is not a work out for the faint hearted apparently, my entire body ached all over after 1/2 hour, so while it's fun and I'm not likely to get bored of it, I'm hoping that with a healthy diet, running and belly dance, I'll soon have my body whipped into shape in time for my 23rd birthday in October!

And despite having all the grace and flexibility of an Elephant at the moment (Given time that will change hopefully), it does make you feel very body confident and a little bit sexy during and after the work out. The ideal exercise I think

I'm glad you posted this - it's something I've been thinking of for a while.

I'd like to join a class but I'm quite nervous: I know belly dancing was Not created as an erotic/exotic art originally but the view in the west is of something done by very beautiful women, and I'm a small round ball....... I need to go to Oz for courage, I think!

I did a class when I was at my absolute heaviest (17st 8 lbs) and the class was amazing, so welcoming! there were women of every age, shape, size and ability, there was no pressure it was 1 hour of fun.

Besides, Belly dancing works better with a few curves

I took a belly-dancing class years and years ago. Late 70's, early 80's?
It is a good work-out, lots of strength and control. If the music is right, I will still bang out a few minutes of hip-popping, belly-shaking. Can't go too far wrong with dancing as fun exercise.