Sports have long ceased to be just the pursuit of ideal forms or elastic muscles - health care comes to the forefront, not only physical but also mental. For this reason, many women add dancing, yoga, various types of art therapy to their life schedule. Nature has created the fairer sex so that dancing is as necessary for them as putting on beautiful clothes or feeling loved, so many women look at different types of dance, especially those that arouse sensuality and femininity in them. One of these types is belly dancing, the benefits of which have long been discussed not only by doctors, but also by psychologists, soul researchers, and other interested individuals.
Belly dance
This English version of the name, which is often used to denote this direction of oriental dancing. Many women like this particular style, which, in their opinion, helps to express themselves in the dance and show their inner essence.
What is the secret of belly dancing? Why is the benefit for women of this particular direction highly regarded among the luminaries of medicine? The main advantages include the following:
- Posture: Oriental dancers have an ideal back and very rarely suffer from scoliosis, osteochondrosis, spondylarthrosis and other pathologies of the spinal column.
- Thanks to the free small muscles along the spine, the woman does not have problems with pressure, headaches, stiffness of the chest and other manifestations of congestive phenomena in the body. Sleep improves, the level of optimism rises, and mental activity increases significantly.
- Setting the right breath during the dance allows you to get rid of problems with the work of the lungs, diaphragm and cardiovascular system, which directly depends on good breathing.
Musculoskeletal system
The physical benefits of belly dancing for a woman’s health, in particular for the spine, are undeniable. Anyone who has seen oriental dancers knows that the movements of their bodies are sometimes impressive: various waves along the spine, deflections deep back, low lateral slopes and stunning rotation with the pelvis, chest and hips make it clear that there is no talk of any tightness of joints can.
Those who had some problems in the lumbar region, sacral zone, and hip joints unanimously note that back pain began to literally leave from the second lesson, and after two to three months disappeared altogether, despite the fact that they kept some constrained for several years. All movements from oriental dances allow the body of a woman who regularly attends classes to maintain the health of the musculoskeletal system in good health until old age.
Reproductive system
For many women who fail to get pregnant, doctors strongly recommend not just doing sports, but attending belly dancing: the benefits for women's health are truly amazing.
- Blood circulation in the pelvic organs improves, which entails getting rid of small and unpleasant "female" problems: menstrual irregularities and pain during menstruation, various types of inflammation.
- In some cases, gynecologists are surprised to note that cysts and fibroids decrease in size and disappear. They cannot explain this effect, because they believe that simply improving blood circulation from active movements has nothing to do with it, because when doing fitness, aerobics, jogging and other types of active sports, this is not.
- Women who attend Belly dance for at least six months and have had problems conceiving a child before the start of classes believe that it was the belly dancing that helped them to become pregnant.
In addition to eliminating problems with the reproductive system, there is an improvement in libido, menopause recedes, and the general resistance of the body also increases, so the benefits of belly dance are obvious.
Women's energy
This important aspect is often overlooked, although it depends not only on the emotional state of the woman, but also the general atmosphere in the family, in which she is the main regulator of good mood and the guardian of the outbreak.
Thanks to oriental dancing, a woman blossoms like a flower, increasing her essence many times over - something that some call magnetism.
Should I use oriental dancing as an exercise?
For some women, the importance of health does not come first, as they do not have pronounced problems with it, but the appearance of the body bothers them more. Muscle elasticity, toned skin and the absence of cellulite excite many much more. Is there any benefit from belly dancing for a figure? Undoubtedly, although not as obvious as from a gym visit: a pronounced relief cannot be achieved here, but to make the waist thinner, buttocks and hips more elastic, and the back line more elegant - 100%.
Is it possible to lose weight with the help of such dances?
Considering that oriental belly dancing mainly uses abdominal muscles, internal organs are naturally massaged due to these specific movements, which contributes to their coordinated work. The work of the intestines quickly improves, stagnation, constipation and bloating go away, which, of course, actively contributes to weight loss.
In one hour lesson in an average rhythm, you can lose from 290 to 360 calories, and if the rhythm is high, then all 400. This is a very good indicator for those who can not engage in high-impact workouts: people with heavy weight, sore joints and other health problems . The benefits of belly dancing for weight loss will be more pronounced if combined with proper nutrition, because no type of impact on body shape can do without it. By attending Belly dance classes three to four times a week (1-1.5 hours) and adhering to the simple rule: “Do not eat three hours before and the same amount after a workout”, you can make serious progress in weight loss, and without much efforts, because dancing is much nicer than doing squats with a barbell on your shoulders.
Is it harmful to practice oriental dancing?
There are plenty of positive factors for attending dance classes, but is there anything other than the benefits of belly dancing: harm, contraindications and frank taboos for people who want to do this kind of activity. Such nuances are available:
- You can’t attend dance classes with acute inflammatory processes of any nature: SARS, flu, bronchitis and so on. You need to wait for recovery, and then continue to attend the dance class.
- With a stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer, it is forbidden to engage in belly dancing. There will be no benefit, but more harm to these organs is easy to inflict, to the point that bleeding will open. This also includes acute inflammatory processes in the kidneys, liver or gall bladder.
- If there are serious problems with the spine: hernias, instability of the vertebrae or previously suffered serious injuries, it is recommended to consult a specialist doctor so as not to aggravate the situation. In no case should you engage in dancing using a medical blockade.
- If a woman has painful periods with heavy discharge, then it is better to refrain from visiting a dance class on such days - let the body recover for several days, and then continue classes.
Naturally, starting from the second trimester of pregnancy, you need to stop doing belly dancing, replacing it with slow stretching or yoga for pregnant women. Some fitness centers offer simple versions of oriental dances for expectant mothers, but it is important to remember: their motivation is money, and a woman has her health and her unborn child. Do not forget that any manipulation of the abdomen can cause irreparable harm to the baby in the womb.
Who is forbidden to practice Belly dance?
The time limits are clear, but if there are permanent prohibitions for those who wish to engage in belly dancing? This direction can bring harm to health in the following situations:
- Congenital flat feet. The problem is that a person spends most of this style of dance on his fingers, substantially loading the arch of the foot.
- Malignant tumors of a different nature.
- Serious heart problems: previous heart attack, pronounced tachycardia, mitral valve prolapse, heart disease, etc.
In the pursuit of profit, in some dance studios and fitness centers there is a tendency to “rejuvenate” the clientele: groups for children are created, and gullible parents gladly give their daughter away for oriental dances, wishing her only the best.
What do doctors say about dancing for children?
The health benefits of belly dancing are too exaggerated: it is worth remembering that the girl during the transformation of the reproductive system at the time of puberty is very sensitive and can be deformed due to incorrect effects on the internal muscles. Therefore, up to eight years, girls are forbidden to engage in any type of oriental dance, until 12 years of age, do not use shaking and sharp hips in dancing, and before the end of puberty it is undesirable to perform deep deflections back, especially in combination with sitting and reclining movements.
Dance Studio Customer Reviews
If you interview women attending Belly dance for more than six months, they all enthusiastically respond to this dance, noting that, in addition to the benefits of belly dancing for the body, there is a significant emotional discharge.
Dancing for pleasure, a woman liberates herself, becoming more natural not only for herself, but also in society. For many, this is a new way to get to know yourself, to learn some nuances of character, psychology, as well as get rid of old complexes due to appearance or lack of plasticity. According to dancers, their clients over time become more confident, sociable and cheerful. Many note that they began to react differently to life's troubles, problems at work - the general attitude towards life has changed: there has been unquenchable optimism.
Pros and cons: what do men think about this?
The fact that there is significant benefit of belly dancing for women is noted by their men, arguing that, in addition to increased confidence, their wives have become more relaxed in their intimate lives, graceful movements, smoothness and femininity have appeared, which modern ladies lack so much.
A change in the attitude towards oneself is also noted: women cease to be too self-critical about their appearance and finally understand that two or three extra kilograms are not scary if the soul is spring, where soulfulness and the desire to love are more important. It is these qualities that men value in wives in the first place.