Do you find yourself tossing and turning at night, wondering how you can be more limber and toned?

Do you enjoy the sensations caused by contracting and expanding your abdominal muscles?

Do you find snake arms beautiful?

Do find yourself yearning to shimmy in the most inopportune of places? (Like in line at the cafe? Waiting in the doctors office? In your vehicle?)

Then run to the store for your very own copy of Bellydance: Fitness for Beginners: Basic Moves.

Disclaimer I am not a fitness guru. Matter of fact, I hate to sweat for any reason. But I have to admit that exercise makes a body feel good, so why not find exercise that is fun, challenging, unique, and that doesn't require inordinate amounts of jiggling, huffing, or puffing?

Basic Moves fits the bill. This is the first installment in a fabulous line of bellydance fitness videos by twins Veena and Neena. They are classically trained in the art of bellydance. They are pretty darn good at it, too. There are a few people that watch these tapes just to watch them, but I don't recommend that. This is a family program, folks.

We start with some basic stretches and simple movements. The warm up is slow and controlled, as is most of the tape. Even the most uninitiated novice will be able to follow along with relative ease. As far as endurance, well, that's your monster. Expect to get better quickly.

We start the actual workout with a lot of arm movement. In many regards, bellydancing is a lot like ballet. The movements are controlled, graceful, and isolated to the specific body part in question. And you get to hold your hands in really pretentious poses. Ok, who can not feel like royalty when assuming the "Cleopatra hands"? Really. The pace of the workout is rather slow, but it isn't overly tedious. There is quite a bit of variety in the moves. They are presented step-by-step, adding arms and steps gradually so that you can swing with it.

This is one of my favorite workouts in the series because there is a lot of emphasis on the abdominal area. I never realized how good it could feel to move that middle! The cool down is equally enjoyable.

Do I like not being jolted around during my fitness? Yep.

Do I like feeling my body stretch and strengthen? Yep.

Does this workout keep my interest? Yep. I rotate the tapes and this seems to work best.

Is the effectiveness noticeable? Yep.

So, if you are looking to break out of the cardio trap, check these tapes out. It is fun, effective, and a little different.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8