New Years Resolution: Shake Your Booty

So here we all are, with our shiny resolutions for 2013. If you're like me, you would have broken one or two by now.

Topping most of our lists would be exercise. We all know about the studies showing the correlations between exercise, good health, and of course an alert brain, if not over-all happiness. Sadly, exercise very often falls by the wayside. I know that from experience. I find however, that exercising in a fun way like dancing works better for me. Yes, even if I am flat footed and uncoordinated. I have been taking up belly dancing for some time now. No, I am not nearly as graceful as this dancer on a Nile River cruise that I was fortunate enough to watch.

Egyptian Belly Dancer

But I try. Very hard. You see, Belly Dance may be old hat for fitness buffs as it hit Manila six or seven years ago, hey, it still works. After all, Belly Dance has been around for ages. And there's nothing like the sinuous movements and seductive music of Belly Dance to make a woman of any age feel sexy. Just ask my classmates at the gym.

Belly Dancing has benefits aside from being a brain boosting exercise. They include the following: It improves overall fitness and body confidence. It also has physiological benefits such as improved circulation and suppleness, increased joint flexibility, deeper breathing and oxygenation of the blood. It is also calming and relaxing thereby reducing stress. 

And for the men? Well, they can simply enjoy watching their partners dance for them. Here is a picture of my graceful classmates:

Graceful Belly Dance Classmates

By the way, you don't have to be particularly graceful to do this (strictly for health benefits). If I can do it, anyone can do it. Of course, whenever the steps become too complicated, I just do the less complicated one that I remember from previous lessons. Or I simply make up my own steps. 

Several times, women on the stretching mats would look at me. Their expressions are surprise and disbelief, which sort of say, "Okay, if she can do it, I can do it."

I kid you not, a few minutes later, one of them would b beside me, dancing away. So, I somehow inspired some people to get fit the fun way. 

Lately, our Belly Dancing Teacher, Ellen has been introducing Zumba steps. These are faster and since we dance to the Latin beat, a little more fiesta-like. I also find that Zumba workouts fine.

Energetic and Graceful Teacher  Ellen with another instructor

In the end, it doesn't really matter how you shake your booty, just as long as you enjoy it, sweat out all those toxins and wake up slumbering joints. Age is also not an issue. You can start getting fit  even in middle age as I had. The important thing is to just do it.

Happy New Year!