Tone Up With Shakira's Belly Dance

There are many fitness crazes coming out at the moment, which seems to be due to the increasing amount of awareness surrounding the importance of exercising to help combat the obesity epidemic. Along with pole dancing, capoeira and simulated horse riding, belly dancing is another fitness activity which was until recently only practised by professional dancers and people from the middle east. Here we have a belly dancing tutorial video from YouTube, which helps to explain some of the aspects of belly dancing, as well as explaining some of the techniques and movements. Belly dancing helps strengthen the core abdomen muscles, as well as provide a good all round workout. The origins of Belly Dancing is actually uncertain, but there are several theories: Many dancers subscribe to one or another of a number of theories regarding the origins of the form. Some of these theories are that the dance form: It descended from indigenous dances of ancient Upper Egypt It descended from Greece, spreading with Alexander the Great It descended from a religious dance Temple Priestesses once practiced It had been a part of traditional birthing practices in the region(s) of origin It had spread from the migrations of the Romani people (also called “gypsies”) and related groups, descended from the Banjara of Rajasthan[citation needed] in northwestern India. It originated in Uzbekistan, traveling to India through the slave trade. Most of the basic steps and techniques used in belly dance are circular motions isolated in one part of the body; for example, a circle parallel to the floor isolated in the hips or shoulders. Accents using “pop and lock” where a dancer either shimmies or makes a striking motion in her shoulders or hips are common, as are feats of flexibility, rolling one’s belly muscles, balancing various props like baskets, swords or canes, and dancing with chiffon or silk veils. With its growing popularity in the western world, belly dance classes are thriving throughout the UK, though the belly dance culture has been evidenced since the early 1960s, with many styles being taught including traditional, modern, tribal, Persian, Oriental, Turkish, Greek, Egyptian, American Tribal. Many festivals and workshops are held over the various regions, with two of the most popular being the Annual Glastonbury Majma and Raqs Britannia. September 2007 sees the first Annual International Bellydance Congress being held in the UK. Various celebrities, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Paris Hilton, have been reported to belly dance for pleasure and to stay in shape, however the most famous belly dancing celeb must be the beautiful Shakira, who also taught Beyonce Knowles how to belly dance. The “Bootylicious” singer told PEOPLE magazine: “Shakira taught me how to belly dance, she taught me the whole routine. I used to watch her videos and I thought she was so cool. When she was teaching me the moves I thought, ‘This is crazy, Shakira is showing me how to belly dance!’ You can see Shakira dancing in her video Whenever, Wherever on YouTube. “I got the best teacher. We didn’t have a lot of time to come up with the choreography - most of it was done on the spot. I was just watching her and learning from her. It was so much fun, the best energy. She was really easy to work with, so sweet and humble.” Beyonce also reported recently that she has regained the weight that she lost for her role in Dreamgirls, and is very happy with her current figure. In February we reported on Beyonce’s maple syrup diet, and were a little concerned with such extreme dieting. We are glad to report that Beyonce has her sexy curves back, but is still in excellent shape.

Exercises for Sexy Thighs and a Toned Butt

When searching for the best exercises for the thighs, you see TONS of ads promoting all of these fancy so-called inner-thigh blasters, thigh squeezers, thigh-toning machines, etc. Take my word when I say that you do NOT need any of these ridiculous "thigh-blasting" gadgets to tighten and tone-up your legs, butt, and hips for good. As always, the best exercises for the thighs come in the form of free-weight or bodyweight exercises. You really need not look any further than various forms of exercises like lunges, squats, deadlifts, and step-ups to get those toned thighs that you want. In addition, there are plenty of variations of these basic exercises to choose from, so in reality, it is simply a waste of time messing with all of these inner-thigh gadgets and fancy thigh machines. Here's an example of one of the most effective thigh exercises that you can do. I'm sure you have done some variation of lunges before. There's probably about 20 different versions that you can try and they all kick butt! One of the best variations of lunges are walking lunges (and a couple ways to do these slightly different to change the emphasis). Instead of standing lunges where you either lunge forward or lunge backward for 1 step and come back, with walking lunges you keep traveling forward on each step for anywhere from 10-30 steps, and then you turn around and come back that same distance. Muscles of the Body It is essential to become familiar with the major muscle groups if you plan to start weight training or any other serious fitness regime. Knowledge is power, so study these muscle diagrams and learn what exercises help to build each muscle. A couple ways to improve on these and get better results over time is to increase your distance each time or start carrying dumbbells to increase the resistance. Walking lunges done right are a real thigh-burner! Here's a couple tips to keep in mind when performing walking lunges: 1) Step far enough forward so that your front shin stays approximately vertical and your front thigh is approximately parallel to the floor at the bottom of the lunge. 2) Your leg behind you while lunging should have a bend in the knee at the bottom but your knee should come just short of touching the floor. Try not to touch the back knee to the ground during walking lunges. 3) Pause for a second at the top of each step before you lunge forward again for your next step. Ok, now that you've mastered the basic walking lunge, let me give you a couple ideas for lunge variations that change the emphasis a little bit for working the outer thighs, inner thighs, and buttocks in a slightly different manner. One variety is to step at an angle outward on each forward step. A second variation is to step at a slight angle inward on each forward step. The inward stepping version of the walking lunge is also called a cross-over lunge, and it really stretches out the buttocks and hips. Go ahead and give these lunge variations a try and I guarantee that you will be firming up those thighs in no time. Whatever you do, just please say no to the fancy thigh machines and inner thigh squeezers, and use these more effective bodyweight exercises and free weight exercises, and you'll be much better off for it. See below for more innovative exercises for the thighs and workouts that will have you showing off your new sexy toned legs. About the Author: Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized International Fitness Expert, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and author of the internationally-selling book, The Truth about Six-Pack Abdominals. Another recommended resource for fat-loss is Lose Fat and Build Muscle

Core Four Workout - Compound Weight Training to Tone Bums, Tums and Thighs

Losing weight, toning muscles and getting fit all go hand in hand. There are many exercises that can be done to accomplish your goals, a plethora of sports clubs, fitness classes and gyms to join, but sometimes a simple home based weight training session cam work wonders. This is where to core four comes into play. All you need is some free weights - just a bar and a bench - although only the bench press is done on the bench. The Core Four Workout: “core four” are the four key weight training exercises to kick start you into building a better, fitter and stronger you. The four core exercises are: 1. Clean and Press - 3 sets of 10 2. Bench Press - 3 sets of 10 3. Bent-over row - 3 sets of 10 4. Barbell Curl - 3 sets of 10 Start with a light weight, or no weights on the bar (bars weight from 5kg to 10kg, 10lbs to 20bls) which is plenty if you have never done any weight training before. There are many other weight training exercises that can be added to these four at later stages, but just performing these four exercises once or twice a week will increase overall muscle mass, strengthen your core to help tone up thighs and the upper body. The main reason that these are the core four is that each of these is a compound exercise, meaning that it works more than one muscle at a time. The Core Four forms a part of the Motley Health Fitness and Weight Loss Plan, soon to be available on eBook from Motley Health See Our Sister Site: GooglePages - Fitness and Weight Loss