I currently bellydance 1 day/week. I'm curious if anyone dances for fitness & if so, has the band affected your ability to belly dance? I'm a bit concerned about the abdominal movements (belly rolls, tucks & pushes, etc).

Thanks!

I would love to bellydance. I believe this to be a good chose in maintaining good weight and excellent source for exercising.

There is a show on fit tv called "shimmy" where they teach bellydancing as a form of fitness. You just do what you can. It's really fun. It's on 3-4 times per week.

There is a show on fit tv called "shimmy" where they teach bellydancing as a form of fitness. You just do what you can. It's really fun. It's on 3-4 times per week.

SWEET! I'm calling my cable company to see if we get FIT TV. I have wanted to learn how to Belly Dance but am too embarrassed at my size and with my big belly (which is where I carry most of my weight). To top it off, the local teacher I have seen in the newspapers is a sweet girl I use to work with some 25 years ago. Her family is Greek and she is absolutely gorgeous.

I would love to take her class.

Why do I make excuses for the times I cannot until the times I can and it is all fat related???? ahhhhhh.

I do bellydance one day a week also. Since I haven't mastered the "tummy roll" yet, I don't know how that will effect my band. I'm not real good at the shimmy yet, but it is so much fun. Our instructor works several nights a week dancing (teaches 5th grade otherwise) and she has shown us a video of her dances. I made 4 different outfits, including the headband so I could practice with different types/weights of material. It is a good all round exercise if you do it a lot (which I dont, sigh). I like my group, we have fatties and twiggys, and we help out each other with different routines. Several women have lost weight and/or firmed up. I found it thru a local recreation dept, now I go to her private classes. Sorry this post is so long, it's a wonderful exercise and fun.

lapdancer- you look great, the girls on the show look like hour glasses. Usually that would depress me. But I try to turn it around and say "I want to work towards looking like that!" I know I'm not going to but I can have the same muscles they do. You just can't see them thru my fat;). I'm going to the md today & I'll ask about all the tummy rolls and such with regard to my(our)port. Good day

My dr said go for it. Should be no problem for the port site. He says the really fasten those suckers down in there. No chance of movement. Even with belly rolls.:tt1:

I love Shimmy on Fit TV! I TiVo it and do it when I feel like doing something fun or when my body bugg says I need to burn some more cals and I've already worked out that day. It's fun. I have never had any trouble with my port or band or anything doing it. I did fling a glass of water across the living room during a veil sweep, tho! LOL!

SWEET! I'm calling my cable company to see if we get FIT TV. I have wanted to learn how to Belly Dance but am too embarrassed at my size and with my big belly (which is where I carry most of my weight). To top it off, the local teacher I have seen in the newspapers is a sweet girl I use to work with some 25 years ago. Her family is Greek and she is absolutely gorgeous.

I would love to take her class.

Why do I make excuses for the times I cannot until the times I can and it is all fat related???? ahhhhhh.

Don't let your weight/size stop you!! I am by no means the largest dancer in my class & I get such positive reinforcement, not only from my teacher but from my fellow students. Even the drummers, who are mostly male, are wonderful guys & very supportive (many of them have wives or SOs who are dancers). When I first started classes I could barely wear a tank top & workout pants. Now I wear harem pants & within 10 minutes of class starting my tank top is tucked under my bra with my belly jiggling for all to see!

This summer I did my first performance with a bare stomach (I do wear a flesh-tone bodysuit). My DH didn't see me before the show but was waiting off to the side to help me down the stairs (veil + long skirt + lots of sparkly bits + stairs = accident waiting to happen!). The look on his face when he saw me all done up with cleavage for miles & wonderful makeup done by a friend was worth the issues I had to get over in order to dance with a bare stomach.

you are too funny rharriet62!! I haven't had any water bottle casualties yet. Thanks for the tip!

I do the belly dance DVDs every evening and I have lost 2 inches from my waist.

I am also taking a latin cardio class.I'm not ashamed of my pear shaped body, I might be heavy,but not for long.....

Bellydance is fun! I also love Shimmy!

i take belly dance lessons also.. dr ortiz said it should be no problem for the band or the port. i have never felt any pain or discomfort while in class. i started taking lessons years ago before i got soooo big, and now that im losing, im starting back up again. ( im still big, but getting smaller so i figured what the heck) :cursing:

i love shimmy too!

I have a bad heel fracture, that occasionally slows me down (cannot stand on toes) At first I felt pretty reiculous, but then, GASP! I kinda felt like,"Yeah, I'm sexy, look at me shakin' my money maker", and I will tell you, even when I was thin, I never, ever felt sexy exercising.

I suck at it, I'm sure, but good lord, the day I show off learned moves to my husband, he will be so flipped out!

Fun exercise that makes me feel sexy and can be new and exciting for my husband? I love it!

I took classes for a year and loved it and also wondered how my new Realize port would respond to rolls. It seems to be settling in well. No weird feelings in a week or so.

I loved it. In fact, I'm wearing my favorite dance scarf in my photo.

I could see my 6 pack peeking thru when I was about 10 lbs lighter than I am now....and had also been working with a trainer 3x weekly for 2 years! That's thousands of crunches, I imagine. LOL

Best!