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Belly Questions - Page 2© Shira
Does It Give You A Flat Stomach?
Earnest Answer: Belly dancing does indeed tone the abdominal muscles. The resulting strength and control does make it easier to suck in the gut. When done for a half hour or more each and every day, and combined with a change in eating habits, belly dancing can also help shrink fat cells throughout the body, including those in the abdomen. This can obviously make the stomach area flatter than it used to be. But the notion of a flat stomach is unrealistic for most women because the female body has organs inside it that men's bodies don't have, and these lie just behind the navel. In some women, the body structure allows these organs to lie far enough back that a flat stomach is possible. But usually even a very slender woman will have a slightly rounded stomach area because of the placement of her uterus. Rather than chasing the unrealistic vision of a flat stomach, why not celebrate the femininity of these curves? Do You Need A Fat Belly To Belly Dance? Snappy Answer: Do you need bow legs to do country-western line dancing? Earnest Answer: People of all sizes and shapes can learn how to belly dance. The same move might look different on a plump person versus a very slender person, but when executed with skill it can look good on both body types. Does Your Belly Get Bigger When You Do All Those Exercises? Snappy Answer: No, but I work up an appetite when I dance, and the triple-scoop ice cream cone I eat after class probably makes my belly bigger. Earnest Answer When we think of body builders, we think of bulging muscles. Many people don't realize it takes more than movement alone to produce that muscle-bound look. For starters, the hormone testosterone plays an important role in creating bulk. Women, of course, don't have as much testosterone as men, so their bodies will respond differently from men's to exercise. In addition, the type of exercise that causes that bulk involves moving very heavy weights with a small number of repetitions. Using a lighter weight and doing more repetitions will lead to less muscle bulging. Now, compare this to the movements that belly dancers do--dance movements don't involve bulk-building resistance training with weights. The very nature of dancers' abdominal movements leads to smooth, well-toned muscles, not large bulging ones.
The copyright of the article Belly Questions - Page 2 in Middle Eastern Dance is owned by Julie Elliot. Permission to republish Belly Questions - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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