| Fitness For Life: An Exercise Guide for | | | | and arch your back in a nice long stretch. |
| Dancers | | | | Tops of shoulders & Neck: Stretch arms |
| (This is targeted to Belly Dancing but works forall | | | | upoverhead, release head back. |
| exercise forms) | | | | If you consistently have muscle pain during workouts, |
| By Jana E. Beeman | | | | try taking anantioxidant supplement with selinium, |
| Exercise Basics: | | | | chromium, calcium, magnesium and zinc. |
| **Before you get started, be sure youve discussed | | | | This helps with muscle recovery and also helps |
| your exercise plans withyour doctor. | | | | alleviate muscle cramps atnight. |
| Always be sure to drink enough water throughout the | | | | As youre doing your workout, start slow for the |
| day, and especiallyduring your workout. A minimum | | | | warm-up, but put energy intoit so your muscles warm |
| should be 8 8 oz. glasses of water per day, | | | | and you start breathing deeper pretty much from |
| anddepending on your weight and training schedule, | | | | thebeginning. As you start to feel your muscles relax, |
| you may want to drink more thanthat. A good rule of | | | | extend further into all themovements. In my |
| thumb is 8 oz. per 20 pounds of body weight | | | | Intermediate warm ups, well start looking at perfect |
| forstarters. | | | | bodypositions in each stretch and how to get more |
| Dress warm during the warm-up (but no socks they | | | | from each movement, but forstarters, just breathe |
| slip!) and take off layersas you warm up. It is not a bad | | | | deeply as you move, and reach out with yourfingertips. |
| thing to be a little too warm during thewarm-up. It will | | | | As you move into the isolations section, be sure to |
| help your muscles loosen up to better support your | | | | breathe all the way downinto the abdominal area dont |
| workout. Donot wear a hip scarf or belt during the | | | | breathe from your chest, breathe from yourstomach. |
| warm up. You want to feel free to movein every way, | | | | Chest breathing is too shallow to support the work |
| and your clothing should stretch easily with you. | | | | youre doing. Youwant to fill your body with air, and |
| You may feel mild to fairly intense muscle soreness | | | | release. When you first start withisolations, youll have |
| and fatigue when youstart a new exercise program or | | | | some you just dont feel like you can do. Relax. Ittakes |
| when you start to take it up a notch if yourealready | | | | a few sessions to get your muscles sorted out. What |
| active. You have two choices when this is the case: | | | | will happen is thatafter you do your first session, youll |
| ease into it slowly,or go for it, knowing youll be sore for | | | | work a lot of the details out in yoursleep. Your body |
| a few days. While most people use theslow method, I | | | | and mind communicate while youre resting, and next |
| dont think there is any problem with jumping in, as long | | | | time,theyll have a better plan how to make your body |
| asyoure not pushing TOO hard. Youll have more | | | | do what youre asking. Everysession gets easier, until |
| muscle fatigue and soreness, butif you continue to | | | | you forget about the struggle. Allow your body towork |
| work through it, you can get up to speed quickly and | | | | it out, and it will be fine. Oh, yes, you absolutely TRY to |
| get theburning in part behind you. A good method can | | | | do the move,but know it will get easier without you |
| be alternating push and no-pushworkouts, so your | | | | getting it perfect the first time. |
| muscles have a little more time to recoop, but not | | | | Belly dance is a progressive style of exercise. First |
| enough timeto lose the work youve put in. | | | | you stretch and startthe limbering and strengthening |
| Keep in mind that belly dancing is going to be an | | | | process, start the basic isolations, then thebody gets |
| entirely different kind ofworkout than what youve | | | | looser and stronger, the isolations get easier, we add |
| done before, UNLESS youve belly danced! It uses | | | | more to them. |
| thedelicate muscles that run down your ribcage, upper | | | | Then you work at a higher level to stretch and |
| and lower abs, pectoralmuscles, scapula | | | | strengthen, learn more complexmovements, focus on |
| muscles.basically, belly dance uses all your muscles, but | | | | cleaning up the movements, making them stronger and |
| in amuch different way than your typical gym workout. | | | | faster. |
| If youve had other kinds ofdance before, youll have | | | | Fast, however, does not mean proficient. Im going to |
| some similarities, but belly dance is all aboutisolation, | | | | tell you a secret thatmost dancers never think about: |
| then combining movements back together, and | | | | Only REALLY good dancers can dance well SLOW. |
| working the musclesagainst each other. That will | | | | What? Slow? |
| create an entirely different dynamic in your bodythan | | | | Yep. Its a hundred times harder to do a movement |
| what you may be used to. | | | | slowly and clean that it isto push through fast move |
| There are certain areas in the body that work hard in | | | | after fast move. No kidding. Newer dancers, or |
| belly dance, and youmay need to work up some | | | | thosewho just arent too good, will always choose fast |
| strength before the moves really start coming | | | | numbers because it covers up ahost of problems, |
| together. | | | | such as body weakness, sloppy movesmomentum |
| You might take a look at my body conditioning video if | | | | carries themoves. How can you tell if a dancer doing a |
| you really feel you needto get up to speed faster. | | | | fast number is doing it to cheat? |
| Honestly, just do the workout clean and ALWAYS | | | | Watch the moves youve learned. Does the umy |
| warmup never go straight to the moves. The warm-up | | | | come up as it moves across thefront? Is the hipwork |
| is designed to prepare andstrengthen your body. | | | | clean and countable? Are the arms up or down? If |
| BE CONSISTANT in doing your program. Once a | | | | down,probably a beginner. Not always, but often. My |
| week at the very minimum, more ifyou have the time. | | | | perfect test: shimmy. If youcant count the hips going |
| The more you do the moves, the faster they get into | | | | 123 123 123 123, its sloppy. |
| musclememory and become much easier to do. Keep | | | | If you really want to become an excellent dancer, |
| in mind that since this dance usesmuscles you may not | | | | WORK IT SLOW! Every time. |
| normally use, you will find areas in your body that | | | | Then speed it up too so you have that, but always |
| refuseto move. Dont give up or get frustrated, just be | | | | start your moves slow,focusing on making them big, |
| patient and take it slow. | | | | clean, pretty and strong. Put TENSION into themoves, |
| If you are working upper body and your hips keep | | | | using muscle to resist the movement a bit that creates |
| moving too, try this: | | | | so muchinterest. Now, as you speed them up, dont |
| 1. Really bend your knees. | | | | lose the range of movement, strengthor cleanness. |
| Tuck the pelvis under, pulling your tailbone down. | | | | Just release a bit of the tension to allow the moves to |
| Tighten your glut muscles (top of back thighs) and | | | | workfaster. |
| lower abdominals (undernavel) | | | | As you get into the drilling part of the workout, really |
| Try doing the movements sitting in a straight | | | | breathe deep intoyour abdomen. Check your tuck, |
| chairwhere your feet are comfortably flat on the floor. | | | | keep your energy up. ENJOY the music! Once |
| Keep your sit bones pressed down on the chair seat, | | | | youresure youre doing the moves correctly, focus on |
| and do your upperbody moves. | | | | fullest range of motion, thenallow yourself to play with |
| Kneel on the floor with your heels under your gluts, | | | | the moves a bit. There is no such thing as a badmove |
| with your toes outbehind you. You can separate your | | | | just one that may or may not look good and work for |
| legs a couple of inches to give you morestability if you | | | | the dance. Inchoreography, thats a different case, as |
| need it. Do your ribcage work here, and the hips are | | | | youre going for conformity, but whendrilling or dancing |
| alsowell anchored. Make sure youre not getting any hip | | | | freeform, experimentation is great. |
| sway a few people dontget enough stability in this | | | | When youre done with the session, I really suggest |
| position so it doesnt work well for them, but itdoes | | | | you do a cool out stretchsession. There isnt time on |
| work for most people so is worth mentioning. | | | | the DVDs for me to do one without increasing thecost |
| When working hips and the ribcage keeps moving: | | | | of the product, but you can make up a stretch out on |
| Find a normal inside doorway. | | | | your own, or repeatthe first few minutes of the |
| Bring your arms up until your elbows are even with | | | | warm-up. I also have a great cool-down on my |
| your shoulders and handsare up. | | | | bodyconditioning video. |
| Walk yourself into the doorway so the arms become | | | | Cover up again immediately following your workout do |
| locked into position bythe doorway. Make sure your | | | | not wait for your bodyto cool off or you may have |
| knees are bent before you lock in. | | | | muscle contraction that could lead to injury |
| Check your tuck make sure the tailbone is pulled down | | | | orunnecessary stiffness. Try to continue to stretch a |
| and your lower backis nice and flat. | | | | bit as you cool down itwill really help with muscle |
| Now you can work the hips without worrying about | | | | recovery. If possible, take a hot shower or bathafter |
| upper body. | | | | your workout, especially when youre just getting |
| You can also use this if you feel you have too much | | | | started with bellydance, to reduce soreness. Putting |
| shoulder involvementeither with hips or ribcage work. If | | | | some epsom salts into your bath water is agreat way |
| working ribcage, keep in mind you areanchored, and | | | | to relax out the muscle fatigue. You should not have |
| will not get the same range of movement you would if | | | | any PAIN, butmuscle fatigue and some soreness is to |
| you were notlocked into position, so do not push into | | | | be expected while youre learning any newform of |
| your movements. Pay attention to yourbody and youll | | | | exercise. |
| be fine. | | | | If you have any body issues old injuries, strained |
| During your workout, if your muscles get crampy | | | | muscles, weak spotsfeel free to email me for some |
| feeling, stretch them out abit before continuing. Also be | | | | tips on how to slightly revise movements to |
| sure to drink enough water. | | | | workbetter for you. |
| For knees: Pull foot back and grab with same | | | | Just remember to relax, have fun with it, and know it |
| sidehand, pulling back behind you. | | | | will take about 6 weeksof consistent work to feel like |
| Calves: Step foot forward (2-3 feet), put your | | | | youre getting the moves. The more you practice,the |
| weightforward and bend front knee, pushing back heel | | | | easier it will get. |
| to the floor. | | | | This article is the property of Jana E. Beeman, |
| To stretch hamstrings, stay in same position but | | | | copyright 2006, all rightsreserved. |
| bendback knee. | | | | You may share or print this article as long as it is sent |
| Back: Cat stretch your back clasp hands in front ofyou | | | | in its entiretywithout making any alterations, including |
| at chest level, pull your back into a C curve pulling | | | | this section and contact information. |
| away from your hands,then extend arms up overhead | | | | Jana E. |