Bellydance training with an injury

This post partly comes out of my recent post about managing my EDS for dance, because managing injury is an enormous part of being a dancer with EDS, however it is also something I have been meaning to write about for general reasons, because every dancer has to deal with this sometimes, whether it is because of ongoing issues, accidents or even a bout of flu.

Illness or injury has the potential to completely mess with your training schedule, knock out your opportunity to rehearse for performances and for a teacher upset your schemes of work and student progression as you plan your classes around your own physical limitations.

When an injury happens, you have to rest it, but I am always aware that while I am doing so, there is a risk of muscle deterioration, which means slipping backwards in terms of the joint stability I have worked so hard to build up, not to mention my general dance conditioning.
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I'm still trying to work out a solid strategy for injury management, but these are the things that have worked for me so far.

Recognising the problem, and not denying it.

Denial is really easy when you are used to regular twinges. It's easy to think "oh that's just a little sore, it'll be fine" and carry on. Well, it might be fine, but even if it is, taking care of it won't do any harm. I use a warming muscle rub on anything that feels tight or sore. It aids recovery from post-conditioning aches and I've also found it helpful for stiff and sore ankles.

An injury needs rest, elevation and ice asap, I usually take some ibuprofen at the time, to help stop the inflammation. There really are no prizes for being a hero here - admit there is a problem and deal with it before it turns into a bigger problem.

Then you have to actually rest it. Princess Farhana wrote recently about how dancers just can't leave their injuries alone. Stop poking it!

Modifying exercises

In my work as a perinatal yoga teacher I am used to finding workarounds for conventional exercises. There's no shame in using props or adapting to reduce impact or exclude a joint that won't tolerate the position. Usually modification means compromise in terms of results, but it's a much better option than doing nothing, and definitely a better option than continuing to work a damaged or weak joint.


Splitting the body

In general I try to work different areas of the body on different days. Core almost always happens, but I have legs days and upper body days and abs days. This is fairly conventional in fitness and allows recovery inbetween. If I have an ankle injury, I will focus on the other areas for a bit. I also keep my conditioning symmetrical, because an injury on one side of the body will strain the other, so that will need some respite and care too.

When I was pregnant and suffering with pelvis instability, I started drilling arm pathways, with weights, while sitting on a fitness ball. There's often a way to rest an injury without stopping completely!

Splitting the work

On reflection I have realised that I can split my practice into a variety of levels, each with their own internal goals, this helps a lot because it means I don't have to drop everything when one part is compromised.

• Basic fitness for cardiovascular and metabolic health - this is walking and generally being active.
• Strength and stability for joint health - simple hatha yoga, restorative yoga, basic pilates, wobble board etc.
• Strength and conditioning for dance - pilates, interval training, ashtanga yoga.
• Dance training - drills, technique and rehearsal

Only the first two are essential for managing my general health (though the others do make a marked difference). It is possible to "mark time" in recovery periods by identifying the activities that make the most positive difference for the least harm.


Managing the domino effect.

A couple of months back I sprained my right ankle, I'm not entirely sure how. A couple of weeks later my left ankle buckled under the pressure of compensating for the weakness. It just gave way underneath me and I sprained that too. The right was almost better, but after a day of the left being weak, it got much worse again. Another day later and I was suffering from excruciating muscle pain up the outside of my left calf and the inside of my right quad - as a result of losing the balance and alignment in my walk. The quad imbalance affected my kneed and my kneecap subluxated...

This is a pretty usual pattern in my experience and it characterises how devastating a relatively minor slip can be as well as reinforcing how important to rest.

I've become very aware of how the body compensates for injury, usually by compromising alignment. Appropriate use of supports and splints helps. If I damage one ankle/foot, I will use a support on both, to protect the good foot. I also use a lot of muscle rub, massage and stretching to prevent tightness and imbalance in the muscles that support the joints.

One of my postnatal yoga clients was asking me about using supports for an injury just this week. In particular she was concerned about relying on the support and losing the musculature that would naturally provide support. Ideally what you need to to is talk to a physiotherapist who can let you know exactly how to use supports appropriately. So... this is my personal experience and not advice... When I feel a weakness or pain, I use a support, always. Why? Because I have found that continuing to use a joint that is weak, wobbly or generally unreliable leads to further injury. A slight weakness due to reliance on a support is a much lesser issue than the risk of aggravating the injury or causing further injury. And I'm not convinced that a support will cause weakness, if your muscles/joints needed the extra help in the first place.

Total rest.

Sometimes the best thing to do is just stop and give yourself some recovery time. If you are ill, you need to get better and while in some cases taking a half hour to walk in the fresh air might do you the world of good, in others it might just prolong your illness and keep you out of training for much longer.

It's OK to have downtime, and downtime doesn't have to mean a break from dance entirely. I've written before about how you can improve your dance by watching and analysing video footage. So that's a start. There's also other things like mapping music for choreography (I hate this job but I've found it essential for really understanding all my performance music, improv too), or even just listening to tracks through services like Spotify or even on YouTube to find your next performance peace.

As a teacher I use downtime to plan lessons, or to type up my rough lesson plans, choreography and workshop notes from my notebooks. Or sort out the dreaded accounts.

You could also work on zills or drumming, or costume making. There's lots of ways you can turn a bit of time off your feet into genuinely productive work.

EDS - dance and conditioning as physical therapy.

I've spent most of this year working very hard on my cross training, as well as general drill and practice schedule. I've written about what that means in dance terms (tldr: many good things) but I wanted to look at it from another angle.

I've written before about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It's a genetic disorder that affects my collagen structure and causes all kinds of fun complications, most of which are invisible to all but those closest to me. In my case, the most invasive symptoms are joint instability, the subsequent injury that causes (sprains, dislocations etc), chronic pain and fatigue.

I like to think of it a bit like this: Imagine you are building a machine, like a car, but where you need cable ties (it's a cheap car) you only have rubber bands, and where you need gaffa tape, you have elastoplast. It's not going to function quite right in a variety of different ways.

It is well understood that certain kinds of physical therapy are good for EDS patients. I had a lot of physiotherapy as a teenager,and some in my 20s but none of it really stuck. Then earlier in the year, I watched this lecture. It's long, but interesting. I'm going to summarise the bits that I found really relevant to my practice.

One thing that really struck me was that they felt that general physical therapy was just as effective as targeted therapy. For me this was super-good news. I have a whole catalog of really boring PT exercises I am supposed to do, but I never do. Why not? Because they are dull. It might sound like no problem to take time out 5 times a day to do 10 reps of a basic exercise, but it never happens because there are better things in life.

"I have never met an EDS patient who can ignore the pain and exercise in the gym and be successful at it" Jan Dommerholt

In the video they talk about an external focus. So that patients aren't exercising just for the sake of it, or even thinking about what muscles they are using or where there body is, they are doing a task where correct form is built in, but the goal is something far more compelling (you can see some examples of the speakers' less conventional PT tasks at about 35 min).

Another issue I have experienced this year is the notable lag in progress of my EDS symptoms behind my fitness. I have never in my adult life managed to push through to the point where my joint stability is good enough to match what my general strength and fitness is capable of.

For example, after about a month of daily interval training, I was feeling a lot stronger and healthier, but I was still having to modify some exercises to reduce the impact upon my joints. I kept at it. After 8 months I was finally able to do jump squats and burpees (putting aside a brief point where I let my burpee form slip a bit and ended up having to splint my wrist 24/7 for a month). For most people doing a jump squat is about having muscles strong enough and fast enough to get off the floor, for me it is about having enough stability in my knees not to collapse like a marionette when I land - and that was the hard part. I could do 80 standard squats a day for months before I was able to land a single jump squat.

It is also known that the gains from PT will drop off very quickly if you stop, which is something to consider when dealing with illness, injury or rest periods. In my summer dance-downtime this year, I continued with my fitness training for this reason.

Pain is the last symptom to go, and it never reaches zero. Well, that's depressing. And that's another reason why it is really hard for people with EDS to motivate themselves towards PT. My pain levels have reduced, inasmuch as I don't get particular pain from injuries, slips, trips and wobbles quite so much. The general background aches are still there. The truth is though, there is improvement. Marked improvement, but it is taking work. A short while ago a quote was posted on a Yoga for EDS forum I subscribe to: "he is in so much pain he has to exercise all the time". It's kind of perfect.

My programme

So I want to write a little about the parts of my training which I feel are having a positive impact on my EDS symptoms - it's just what is working for me, everyone's body is different, this is intended as reflection, not instruction. A summary of what I am learning on this year's fitness journey.

Feedback

So the most important thing I came into this year with, was an understanding of my issues. I analysed my posture meticulously. I watched videos of my dance practice and performance, I asked other dance teachers to do a postural analysis on me and I had a session with a physiotherapist for the same reason. With that in mind I started out aware of potential pitfalls, weak spots and problems to "fix".

I have/had: A deep lordosis in my lumbar spine, swayback, femoral torsion with a weakness in my external hip rotators which worsen that, pronation on my left foot, supernation on my right, plantar fasciitis and a few other fun things. A lot of work has gone into all of these and my posture, movement and proprioception are all improving - but that couldn't have happened nearly so well if I hadn't been aware of what to look out for from the start.

Another side to feedback that is important is observing my dance, either on video or in studio mirrors, and being aware of my alignment from an external perspective. People with EDS usually have poor proprioception (the sense of where the body is in space). You can train proprioception, but I have to be constantly mindful to keep my lines healthy and avoid "weird" and unnatural-looking joint positions.

Yoga/pilates

Some people get twitchy about yoga and EDS, because they think that yoga is about being bendy, and EDSers are already *too* bendy. When I practice yoga I am concentrating on good alignment and strength through postures and flow. EDS comes with poor proprioception, we often don't really know where our body parts are unless they are at an extreme of their range. Yoga is about being really conscious of that, and developing good movement patterns which become habits we carry into our daily lives.

Pilates has a lot in common with yoga, but with more ability to spot target and strengthen muscles. Pilates tends to be intense and is often about doing a few reps in good form, which makes it initially quite accessible. My physiotherapist runs clinical pilates sessions, which are a great option for anyone wanting to try it out while keeping a joint condition in mind.

Walking

One of the most basic exercise therapies suggested for EDS is 30 minutes walking a day. That's a good amount of walking, certainly enough to call yourself active for the sake of cardiovascular health etc. The great thing about walking is that you can choose how to pace yourself. If it takes 30 minutes to get to the end of the street and back, it's still 30 minutes walking, right?

I usually walk on a flat surface, like a pavement, although more recently I have been branching out to some cross country things. Uneven surfaces carry risks of wobbles which means ankles, knees, hips, falls, all that drama.

Finding motivation to walk isn't so hard. I started by walking the school run, or just walking into town and back. Then I got a puppy. Now I walk her. Walking with a dog feels much more purposeful. I like going places with her. I've just about doubled my daily distances as a result.

Kit for walking is helpful. I started out using a hiking pole when I am going off road. "Hiking pole" is sports for "walking stick for wobbly muppets who fall over in the mud too much". I find the difference it makes is phenomenal. I have mananged to avoid using a conventional walking stick for about 3 years now, but I used a pole religiously on rough ground while I was developing strength in my walking habit, and continue to use it on wet days or if I'm feeling a bit weak.

The other important thing is shoes. Shoes are a big deal for me generally, they have to be right or I end up with fallen arches, plantar fasciitis, odd dislocations in my metatarsals, all sorts. I started wearing trainer style, low top walking shoes for all my walks. I found them lacking on wet ground. I have old fashioned leather hiking boots, but I find them too restrictive, my feet can't flex and I get cramps and my joints ache for lack of movement (moving joints is really important for keeping the synovial fluid levels at their cushiony best). So I invested in some soft, high top walking boots and they are great, enough flexion in the sole to keep my feet busy, but loads of ankle support.


When I walk I also think about alignment and posture a lot too, just like a do when I am dancing. Is my pelvis level and stable? Are my toes facing forwards? Are my knees tracking over my toes?

I've noticed that the strength training in the pilates and yoga, as well as the more intense interval training, has changed the way I walk, I'm using more muscle groups now and my gait is smoother. I notice these things because I am a movement geek.

There are other parts of my training that are less relevant to my EDS, like weights, interval training and dance practice. Those are all happening too, but doing those parts is the goal, the stuff above is what keeps me well enough to get there.

Keeping track

One of my most surprising discoveries was how useful it has been to use a fitness tracker. I use a Fitbit Charge HR, which I find best for picking up my non-stepping exercise like weights and dance (when my arms are isolated and most of the effort is not in my feet)


So why is this so useful?

First off, it makes me be active every day. It is very easy to have a slack day, then let that drift into a slack 3 days and before you know it you are losing strength, getting wobbly and falling down the stairs again. I am naturally a bit goal driven, so I do make a point of hitting my daily goals and doing this consistently has definitely made me more active and stronger.

The thing that I wasn't expecting to make an impact on my EDS symptoms was the calories in/out tracker. I knew I had a problem with how I was eating on heavy training days. The disruption of travelling, dancing all day, taking short breaks with unusual sources of food etc was clearly problematic. Like many EDSers my digestive system likes routine and I would usually end up with stomach cramps etc due to the disruption. I also used to crash badly the next day. Total fatigue, brain fog, sometimes migraine.

I'd put this down to having exercised/pain managed hard the next day and just having no spoons, but when I started tracking my calorie intake, I realised there might be more than that. On my heavy dance days (and this means teaching/rehearsal days as well as taking classes), I was undereating terribly. It is quite usual, on a Monday, when I run a full morning of classes with rehearsal inbetween, for me to end the day having expended up to 2000 more calories than I consumed. No wonder my body was screaming for downtime after that!

The counter problem to that was that on my rest days I was using half as many calories and eating more. So basically my fuel system was completely upside down.

I use an app on my phone which allows me to record my intake throughout the day, and lets me know if I am on track according to what I am doing. This means I can not only match my intake to my output on a daily basis, but throughout the day, which gives me much better balanced energy levels. This in turn means I am much less fatigued the following day. Energy levels are also really important for pain management. Low blood sugar saps willpower.

Daily goals mean that I am more consistently used to being active, and that has helped a lot with training days too, they aren't such a shock to the system! I still have pain to manage, serious training does still give me a bit of a "hangover" but it is much, much better.

The dreaded injury

Injury is an inevitable part of living with EDS. PT can strengthen and stabilise the body, which makes it less likely, but eventually it will happen.

There are some things I can live with, like my right hip that jumps in and out of place like it's doing the joint Hokey Kokey, or "The Claw" when my hands just seize up from overuse. Other issues can cause more disruption.

This time last year I wrenched my shoulder (while feeding the rabbits, because of course I did). It took a very long time to work through all the issues this caused in my neck, shoulder and upper back. Spraining my wrist meant no burpees for a while (there's the silver lining). I also couldn't plank properly for a while, I had to modify to the elbows.

Earlier this year I managed to sprain both ankles, which caused a whole cascade of issues.

I had so much to say about how I cope when I have an injury, that I decided to put it into a whole separate post.

The final word

So I'm going to wrap this up here. The last year has been quite a journey on a number of levels. From a health/EDS perspective I was determined to see what my body was capable of if I cared for it, ruthlessly. It has exceeded my expectations. A couple of times last week on a dog walk I climbed Glastonbury Tor twice in a row (and went around the base inbetween) with absolutely no extra issues afterwards. This takes constant work though. I have to exercise every day, regardless and that takes commitment and scheduling.

Dr Dommerholt is correct. The pain doesn't go away. But it doesn't go away through rest either, so that's not part of the equation. Being stronger, more physically able and a better dancer has been worth the effort.

EDS affects different people in different ways, and I am very grateful that I have the ability to access this kind of training, many sufferers would struggle with the basic programme I began with, and I certainly wouldn't expect many people to be as driven as I am. Dance is one of my greatest priorities, but I have that luxury because it is also my job.

However, accessible activities are a great thing - I currently have plans to start a low-impact dance class for less able dancers - moving, in a safe and level appropriate way, motivated by something other than simply getting the exercise done is an excellent tool towards health and wellness.

The pregnant bellydancer

Every now and again I get approached by a dancer who announces she is pregnant. That's always rather nice, but more specifically they are looking for help and advice about dancing through pregnancy.

Now I love these conversations, because it's great to help out another dancer, and supporting women on their journey into motherhood is what I do on the other side of my working life. But I also felt that it would be good to put a bunch of information in one place (for the bits I forget to talk about) and to be able to share it with dancers who aren't going to contact me directly to ask. There's a lot of misunderstanding about dance, or physical activity in pregnancy, and I think that places a lot of unnecessary stress and restrictions on pregnant women.

In this post I am going to focus on continued dance for dancers who happen to be pregnant. There will also be a sister post on my doulaing blog for pregnant women who would like to dance.

Before we start. Who am I to be talking about this stuff?

Well, I'm a bellydancer, and teacher, hopefully that is clear or you have stumbled here via a stray internet link and are wondering what is going on. I have a background in teaching specific prenatal bellydance classes ( this used to be a regular thing, but now is something I offer as a workshop) which stems from my work as a doula.

I am also a trained doula, which for the uninitiated means that I provide practical and emotional support for women through pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. This is not a medical position, I don't provide any medical treatment or advice, but part of the role is having a strong understanding of the processes of pregnancy and birth, as well as the various options, complications etc that might arise, so that if need be, I can serve as an advocate for a client, helping her to make informed choices that are right for her.

And I'm a perinatal yoga teacher. I have been teaching regular pre and postnatal yoga classes for just over 3 years and I have the privilege of watching a wide range of women progress through pregnancy, whilst analysing their posture an movement (in a totally not-weird way).

What I am not however, is an obstetrician. Or more importantly, your obstetrician. The information I am about to give you is based on my experience as a dancer, teacher and mother. Always seek the advice of a medical professional who knows your file and can actually see you and stuff.

Down to the questions. 

I'm going to FAQ this. Yes, it's a bit lazy, but it might make it easier to follow....

Can I bellydance in pregnancy?

Yes. Yes you can. There will be limits. For the most part they will be extremely clear to you.

This is assuming you are generally healthy. If you have complications in your pregnancy then those limits might be tighter, or you might need to rest up completely. I keep a quick checklist here for *my* prenatal class, which is beginner level and very low impact.

Generally if your health care professionals are not advising you to avoid light/moderate exercise, you can dance. Some HCPs don't know much about bellydance, and will err on the side of caution when asked, because they really have no idea what you are proposing to do with your expanding midriff. Discuss your concerns, and theirs and see how you feel. But the rule for most pregnancies is if you were doing it before you got pregnant, then you can keep doing it. Dancers in forms that are much tougher on the body, like ballet, continue to dance safely in pregnancy. Runners keep running, weightlifters keep lifting. You get my gist.

Is it going to cause a miscarriage?

The "usual" advice women are given is to lay off exercise for the first 12 weeks, as this is a risky window for miscarriage. Now, it's fine to lay off exercise if you are exhausted and nauseous, and it is very important to listen to the signals your body sends when you need to slow down.

But.... I need to get a bugbear off my chest. There is a reason most miscarriages happen in the first trimester. That reason has nothing to do with exercise. It has nothing to do with *anything* the woman does. To suggest otherwise is a cruel lie that leaves grieving women torturing themselves with blame over a pregnancy loss that could never have been prevented. The vast majority of first trimester miscarriages are genetic faults. Those embryos simply didn't have the right DNA to grow into a viable foetus. It's really common, happens all the time - we have actually evolved to only carry the strongest, most viable embryos. It is nobody's fault.

For many dancers, dance is what keeps them sane, and healthy. For many of us it is our main (or sole) form of exercise. Without it we lose our cardiovascular fitness, strength and posture. Those are all going to be important to keep healthy and comfortable through pregnancy. So telling a dancer to stop dancing for a couple of months is not actually beneficial to her health at all.

Is there anything I should be avoiding?

I have 3 answers to this question, the fluffy, the general and the sciencey

The fluffy

Listen to your body. If you feel tired, don't push yourself. If you feel dizzy or nauseous, stop spinning drills. If something hurts, don't do it.

Most of the time that will see you through. If you are dancing regularly and not consistently injuring yourself, the chances are you either have a fabulous and attentive teacher, or a fairly good understanding of your body. Both of those will serve you well here.

The general

Smooth movements are usually ok. Sharp movements can be uncomfortable. Twists, especially sharp twists need to be avoided. Camels/undulations - the general advice is no, I would certainly advise against deep pelvic undulations in the second half of pregnancy. Backbends are just ridiculous, don't even think about it. Belly rolls are probably possible (I could bellyroll at 34 weeks pregnant just fine) but it does put strain on a muscle that is already very stretched and you would probably like to go back to its original length eventually.

That said, Sadie is doing just fine....

The sciency

To unite the first 2 answers, sharp movements will probably feel uncomfortable anyhow. Your uterus will essentially become a hard and heavy wrecking ball, crashing about buffeting your insides (that's the science....). You will most likely not enjoy this sensation. You won't want to do the movements.

The other risk for sharp movements is relaxin. As your pregnancy progresses you will become more flexible as this hormone softens your ligaments in preparation for birth. Flexible joints are unstable joints and it will become easier for you to hurt yourself through an overenthusiastic movement. Some women find themselves getting really loose in pregnancy, and this can result in Pelvic Girdle Pain, when the usually fixed joints in the pelvis start to wriggle around. I suffered from PGP in both my pregnancies. I found that I could dance at times when walking was difficult, because my automatic dance posture activated my core into stabilising my pelvis. If you have PGP though, you need to take it steady and remember that if you overdo it, you might not feel it until the next day, so be careful.

That said, from my personal experience as a mum to be with pelvic pain, and as a yoga teacher with several women with PGP in my care, I strongly believe that the worst thing for a loose pelvis is complete rest. When your core muscles weaken, they support the pelvis less, the instability becomes worse, the pain becomes worse. The Pelvic Partnership have some great information about how to take care of your flexible pelvis in terms of avoiding the activities that make it worse. Maintaining core strength and good pelvic carriage in your posture usually reduces symptoms.

Generally stabilising the pelvis will help both pelvic and back pain. Be mindful of your posture and think about keeping the low abs engaged and avoiding "duck butt" at all costs. Your body will be fighting you on this one. Do this every day to help straighten things out.

Twisting the lumbar spine needs to be avoided in pregnancy, in prenatal yoga spinal twists are done sat on the floor or otherwise to root the pelvis in place and taken very gently. I personally found horizontal figure 8s just fine, but kept the range of the twist small.

The last thing to consider is dizziness. You'll probably be getting some of this. You'll also notice the headrush from standing up or bending over is much worse now. This is usual. Your balance will also be off, because your centre of gravity is different and constantly changing. This is going to limit your ability to spin.

Can I keep training?

For some dancers training might mean attending one class a week, for others it might mean a more punishing schedule of conditioning and dance. How you manage this is entirely up to you. I stopped taking classes at about 20 weeks in my first pregnancy. But at 17 weeks I made it through the Majma festival without sitting out of any workshops.

Of course dance isn't just about classes. I never truly stopped dancing in either of my pregnancies. Even after I stopped classes, or practice at home. Dance is integral to my life and I was still dancing, even briefly, on a daily basis.

If you want to maintain your fitness, it might be worth switching over to specialist pre-natal classes whose teachers have a better understanding of what is going on in your body and how to manage it. There are also some really good prenatal yoga and pilates DVDs on the market (Tara Lee held me together in my first pregnancy), and a couple of prenatal bellydance DVDs, which while basic, offer you a safe flow practice.

There are other ways you can work at your dance, without actually dancing. Like watching videos or studying music. So try them out to keep your dance monster fed. Lastly, be creative, if you can't do the entirety of your regular practice, what can you do? When my pelvis was at its worst, I sat on a fitness ball and drilled arm patterns. Great for core strength!

Can I perform during pregnancy?

Absolutely. If you can dance, you can perform. You might want to think about what your energy levels can handle, but if you feel up for it, most bellydance events love a pregnant dancer!

What about afterwards?

When I was pregnant people told me that dance would be the last thing on my mind after I had a baby. These people were wrong, and if you, like me, live and breathe bellydance, then you will understand the urge to get back into it fast.

You're going to have to wait a little, at least. Medical advice is to wait 6-8 weeks, at which point you will have your postnatal checkup and your doctor will tell you if you are OK to start exercise.

After my second baby (c-section) I went to a beginner level class at 10 weeks postpartum. Looking back on that it seems ridiculous, but at the time it was an absolute lifeline. One whole hour a week for me, where I wasn't caring for a tiny and perpetually hungry human.

***

I took my yoga teacher training during my second pregnancy. My teacher told me at the time that yoga teachers were far more likely to push themselves too far, maybe even without realising, because they felt the need to "keep up" or maintain a certain level to justify their position as a teacher.

I think that is something to be conscious of as a pregnant dancer too. You will lose condition, you will find yourself dancing more basic technique and fumbling movements that were previously easy.

You may even resent your body, or your baby for "taking away" something that is probably part of your identity. All of this is normal and OK.

When you come back, dancing will feel like driving an unfamiliar, and much less powerful, car. Your brain will know what it wants to do, but your body will not quite get there.

However, pregnancy did make me a better dancer. Living without dance, as I had known it, made me yearn for it more, and work for it harder once I could again. It made me less inhibited because I understood what I really had to lose. It made me dig deeper. Losing the edge on my skill made me reflect harder on the artistry, musicality, storytelling and emotion of dance. Don't be afraid of taking a little sabbatical, the dance will always be waiting for you.

Tasty metaphors....

What's the point? Why fitness is about more than skinny jeans.

What are you fighting for?

I've been thinking recently about fitness, conditioning and our motivation for working at it.

I cross train, alongside my dance for a host of reasons, and I have noticed that almost almost all of the fitness classes or DVDs on the market have weightloss or aesthetics as a primary focus. That is to say, they are not marketed based on what your body can do, but what it looks like.

My favoured source of non-dance centred conditioning is Jillian Michaels, who does talk a lot about health, feeling strong, getting fit etc, but also spends a lot of time shouting about how we will feel when we get to go skinny jeans or bikini shopping. I know how I will feel incidentally, sweaty and awkward. Even though I no longer feel awkward (there's no escaping the sweaty) while completely owning her workouts.

Recently, when I was part way through writing this post [which has been sat as a draft for a week...] an aspiring professional dancer posted on a social media group for professional performers, asking about their fitness regimes. At the end of her question, she put a little caveat, that was along the lines of "please don't think I'm being shallow, this isn't about looks, it's about improving my dance".

While a commercial dancer will find her job opportunities limited by her looks, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with working to optimise that, if she chooses. The fact that she felt pressured to explain, to a group of dancers, that fitness was important to her in terms of her physical ability to dance, is very telling.

What does a bellydancer's body need?

I've been working on classes that I want to offer and how to market them. I really want to do a class that is purely conditioning and basic drills. Nothing fancy, just the solid foundations, the stuff that Zoe Jakes calls "dance vegetables".

I wanted to call it "body for bellydance", but then I realised that this would likely be interpreted as being slim with a flat, but not too muscular belly that would be considered widely socially acceptable in  a skimpy stereotypical 2 piece costume. I am not the postergirl for this concept.

I can live with this as I know that these criteria are not what is necessary in a bellydancer's body. Conditioning is important to reduce the gap between artistic vision and physical capability, not to make a dancer "the right shape". What a bellydancer needs is:

• Control
• Co-ordination
• Strength
• Speed
• Balance
• Flexibility

You can have these at a size 6 or a size 26, but no one gets it without training.

Measuring progress in conditioning should never be about chasing unicorns.

Training goals need to be achievable. If they are not, then we give up. If my motivation for conditioning was centred around my dress size I know that I would never stay motivated on a tough regime. In the last 6 months of intensive dancing and conditioning, my dress size has remained stable while the factors that really matter have come on in leaps and bounds.

They also need to be positive. Any goal that shames your current state is a poor goal. To care for your body you need to believe that it is worth caring for - too many weight loss orientated goals ignore this. At best it leads to apathy or self sabotage, why bother when you are worth so little? At it's worst it leads to unhealthy regimes, overexercising and dieting to the detriment of your health.

What does fitness look like?

I have a bit of a rant, fairly regularly, about the lack of diversity in images of fitness. It becomes very clear as a blog writer, searching for images to illustrate fitness writing. A "fit" woman, according to stock photography is:

• Slim built
• Lean
• Conventionally attractive
• White
• Usually blonde
• Made up
• Wears a sports bra and hot pants.

Here she is:

 Very lovely she is too, but if this is the only acceptable look for a fit and healthy woman, then I, along with the vast majority of people, am not it. Why is this important? Well, if this is what we are aiming for, most of us won't get there. Not being stupid, most of us will realise this and give up feeling bad about ourselves, losing all the benefits of a good fitness regime.

A few months back I discovered this project, a startling quick reference that demonstrates that a fit body does not have to fit the fitness model stereotype. Athletes at the top of their game, men and women selected not for their look, but for their accomplishments, for the superior physical function of their bodies.

Take a careful look through all the images on the link. Even among top athletes, there is an enormous variety in body shape, size and composition. Even between individuals competing in the same field.

Most have low body fat and high muscle mass, but we see tall, short, broad shoulders, slight shoulders, slender legs and powerful bulky thighs. Fitness doesn't have a single look, so why are we pretending that becoming fit will make us look a certain way?

I'm really heartened to see increasing visibility for diversity in fitness.Yoga teachers coming forward and breaking stereotypes, dancers showing us that you don't need to fit the ballerina aesthetic to excel in as an artist. In the bellydance world, Bellydance at Any Size seeks more acceptance for diversity in our danceform, because everybody deserves to dance.

So why do I work out?

I love the effortless leg lifts and arabesques that come from hours of pilates. I love how squatting down to pick something off the floor isn't a big deal. I love throwing a 20kg feed bag over my shoulder and confusing the pet store owner. I love being able to dance a 10 minute drum solo without pausing. I really love the strong feeling when I move and I know my muscles are working, but it doesn't feel like a struggle. I love the endorphin rush and satisfaction when I have got through a tough workout. I love how the strength in my leg muscles means I get less joint pain. I am proud of how I can now actually do burpees - hate them still, but I can do them!

Our understanding of how build and body composition relate to health is improving all the time. We don't have all the answers, but what we do know is that being active keeps you healthy. So let's focus on keeping our bodies healthy, not a particular shape.

PS - have you bought your hafla and workshop tickets yet?

May is EDS awareness month, so this seems like a time to write a bit of a post about dancing in a less-than-perfectly-functional body. I wrote a post a while back, originally for Yahoo Lifestyle, limited by their requirements, so I'm welcoming an opportunity to return to the topic from another perspective.

EDS is an inherited disorder that affects the soft tissue. I have Hypermobility Type which is a milder version characterised by extreme flexibility and therefore instability in the joints. There are various effects on the nervous system, digestion, skin etc, but the most noticeable effect is joint pain, frequent dislocations and fatigue.

While my previous focus was working around physical limitations, and staying healthy while dancing, today I want to focus on the psychological side. It is well understood that dance can do wonders for our psychological well being, from body confidence, to warding off depression and mental health issues.

Living with chronic pain or physical restrictions can be a war of attrition against your self esteem. It's very easy to become hung up on the things you can't do, or the times when your body can't meet your aspirations. Of course this can happen to anyone, regardless of their state of health,  but the more often it happens, the more frustrated you become and the more averse to trying again.

I grew up unable to consistently participate in sport, in a culture where athletic prowess was social currency. I spent my teenage years taking painkillers and throwing myself into endurance sports, where grit and determination would get me through. It made me tenacious, but it also left me with a lot of sprains and subluxations, because that's not what I'm made for.

Discovering dance was another matter. The great thing about Raqs Sharqui is that the movements, when executed with good technique and mindful alignment, are not damaging or extreme. The core stability afforded by regular training helps me to stabilise my joints, so this dance is physically good for me. There are some aspects I struggle with, you'll rarely see me use very deep level changes for instance, but I don't need to, the beauty in the dance doesn't come from increasingly challenging physical feats but through connection and expression with the music.

Learning to dance gave me an opportunity to feel good in my skin, which is an incredible blessing when your body feels like an inconvenience the rest of the time. As part of Dancing with the Red Goddess, I encourage dancers to do an exercise/meditation in body positivity, where they come up with a list of things their body can do. Dance is something my body can do, and I do it every day,  to keep strong and healthy, but also to remind myself that I can.

It restores the balance. I can't do some things most people can do, but I can do this one thing, with my body (besides the hilarious party tricks involving joints that move in entirely the wrong direction) that most people can't. There is satisfaction in that. It reminds me that differently able does not mean lesser.

There is enormous freedom and triumph in dancing despite the pain and fatigue.There is enormous therapeutic effect in finding artistic expression, strength and beauty through a medium that should be my most restrictive. Every movement is a poke in the eye for a condition that still makes it hard to move off the sofa some days. Dancing has taught me to care for my body better, because I need to be on my best form, because it is worth taking care of.

I have met some amazing people in the dance community. People who remind me why I need to keep dancing, people who keep it fun, and people who show me how to enrich my life through dance, even when I am not dancing.

I teach dance to all kinds of people, with all kinds of ability levels. I teach general classes, but also classes and workshops for pregnant, elderly or disabled dancers (including chair based dance). I do this because I truly believe that the benefits of dance, physical and psychological are something that everyone deserves to access.

Pelvic floor: The secret to posture, balance and grace in dance, that no one wants to talk about.

Grace in dance is achieved by strength and particularly core strength

I had been dancing for several years before finally someone (Yasmina of Cairo in fact) talked to me about pelvic floor.

As I am a perinatal yoga teacher, I am pretty pelvic floor focused. Pelvic floor control and strength is a big part of my remit and I am very aware of how little understanding most people have of this important structure.

What is the pelvic floor?

When I mention pelvic floor, most people think of the sphincter muscles, but actually, they are at best a part of the pelvic floor and potentially not the pelvic floor at all. So let's get rid of that preconception now. Toss all thoughts of kegels and stopping mid-wee away right now, this is not what we are talking about.

When I refer to the pelvic floor in this context, I am referring to the pelvic diaphragm, the sling of muscle that supports your abdominal organs by creating a hammock in the base of your pelvis, it looks like this:

This is a pelvic floor, all that muscle, let's use it.

It's made up of 2 major muscles (which in turn are made of smaller muscles) the coccygeus and the levator ani. You don't need to worry about what they are called, you just need to know you have them.

And you do have them, they are holding your insides up right now! In my perinatal yoga classes, women are often surprised to find out that pelvic floor weakness is not a consequence of birth, but of pregnancy, it is the strain of carrying the extra weight, while simultaneously not "using" the pelvic floor in a positive, strengthening way that causes the weakness; it has little to do with the delivery of the baby.

So what has this got to do with bellydance?

Well... your pelvic diaphragm is actually a really important core muscle. You know when you are told to "engage your core" or to "keep your core strong"? Well this is your pelvic floor's call to arms! Your "core" is essentially all the muscles that keep your posture strong, it includes muscles around your spine, deep abs etc, but also your pelvic floor.

Engaging the pelvic floor essentially condenses your insides a bit. It kind of solidifies your "centre" and keeps everything stable. When you turn, travel or balance (say, in an arabesque) lifting your pelvic floor and engaging your core keeps you steady and graceful.  Try it out in your next practice or dance class.

Finding your pelvic floor

Once you know that you need to use it, finding your pelvic floor and applying it to your dance is pretty easy. Try standing in dance posture, and visualise a trampoline of muscle in the base of your pelvis, like in the image above. Now imagine drawing it up from the centre, like your perineum is taking a day trip up to your belly button. There you go, now your pelvic floor is engaged. Practice this while waiting for the bus. That gives you an extra incentive not to let it show on your face.

That's awesome, how do I cross train my pelvic floor to make it even better?

OK, so first stop doing kegels.Your pelvic floor pretty much takes care of itself by being used properly. That means engaging it when you engage your core, not just dancing, but standing, sitting tall etc. Yoga squats are brilliant for pelvic floor training. Apparently bouncing (on a trampoline or gym ball) is also good. Like any muscle, challenging it gently keeps it in shape.

This is me doing a yoga squat at 39 weeks pregnant.
I make all my pregnant yogis do squats.

There is a theory amongst yoga people that our lifestyle (comfy sofas etc) has led to a weakening of the pelvic floor. Watch how a toddler moves and plays, constantly on the move, never slumping in their seat, squatting with naturally good form, often for very long periods while playing.

So keep active, keep healthy, and don't leave your pelvic floor behind.

Footwear for bellydance

Taking care of your body is an important part of being a dancer, and taking care of your feet is a good place to start.

When I am feeling a bit ethereal about such things, I talk about dance in terms of your relationship to the floor. Much of our basic movement vocabulary can be explained, or at least better understood in terms of where the weight is borne through the feet, or the force exerted (or not) when a part of the foot is pressed into the floor. At an intermediate level dancers learn to separate their hip movement from their feet, in order to layer and travel freely, but at a grass roots level, hip lifts, figure 8s, even camels can be broken down to the way your feet interact with the floor.

Many beginner bellydancers are advised to dance barefoot. The constriction of the feet (especially at the toes) by shoes affects your basic posture, and the ability to freely flex your foot and feel the floor can be very helpful. Good foot placement and weight distribution is literally the foundation of good posture. Get it right and the knock on effect protects your ankles, knees, back and even your neck while you dance. It is also the cheapest option, as beginning dancers often don't want to invest in specialist shoes. Many dancers choose to remain barefoot for all of their training and performances.

Barefoot is a healthy way to be, I rarely wear any footwear around the house. I find that the exercise barefoot walking gives my feet keeps them strong, and stops my flexible arches from falling.

So why wear shoes to dance?

Culture and etiquette

The lovely Samia Gamal,
who did dance barefoot often,
demonstrates the perils therein

It seems to be a common misconception that it is somehow "authentic" to bellydance barefoot. This is quite untrue. Dancing with dirty feet (and they are bound to become dirty) is very much frowned upon, and although it is not unheard of to dance barefoot, shoes are generally worn by dancers in the Middle East. Baring the sole of the foot deliberately "at" someone is an offensive gesture in the Arab world, although an accidentally visible sole mid-dance is unlikely to offend.

A few years back I was in a workshop taught by one of the great matriarchs of Egyptian dance, a fierce and formidable lady, she had a very angry rant about Western dancers assuming that it was authentic to dance barefoot. Her offence at how we "assumed" that her people were some kind of "barefoot primitives" was made clear to us all!

In a Western setting, unless you are dancing for an Arab audience (or instructor!), you are unlikely to bother anyone else by being barefoot.

Protection from the floor

It would be fabulous if every dance space we used, for class, practice and performance as a lovely clean, polished sprung wood floor, but that's never going to happen.

Sometimes we dance outside, sometimes in restaurants with dirty floors and possible shards of broken glass or crockery, so we need to protect our feet. In my dance career I have trodden on thistles, glass and broken a toe mid-performance when it caught in an uneven surface. Even a small cut can seriously effect your ability to bear weight evenly on your foot, if it becomes inflamed and sore, and that is going to inhibit your ability to dance for several days. A small injury on the sole of your foot can also affect how you bear your weight, causing knock-on effects on your posture and damage to your ankle, knee or back.

Sometimes it's not the state of the floor, but the floor itself. Dancing barefoot on carpet can make turns treacherous, as the grip wrenches your knees and the friction can literally tear your skin apart. Equally some dance studios have very slippy floors and good dance shoes will give you that extra purchase you need to keep you on your feet.

Style

When you are in costume, just as much as out, your footwear is part of your outfit. Glitsy shoes can finish your look and many dancers wear some variant of high heels when they are performing. Wearing heels also adjusts your centre of gravity and posture, which in turn alters the overall style of your dancing.

Select your shoe

Below is a summary of some of the most common shoes worn by bellydancers. All dancers have their own preferences, and may wear different shoes for different circumstances. I've tried to put some pros and cons for each type, but this is based on my own experience, your mileage may vary.

Ballet flats

There are several different types of shoes that might fit into this category. Standard ballet shoes, from dance suppliers are usually split sole, that is they have a hard leather pad on the toe and another on the heel.  Some have a single sole, that runs the length of the foot. These tend to be a tight fit. Personally I find the small sole (which is far narrower than my foot) unstable, and the narrow toe does not allow me to spread my toes into a stable base.

You can also get soft soled dance shoes, and many bellydance suppliers sell something similar with added bling. These are a great budget option for beginning dancers, they work well with costumes and protect the feet without restricting them too much. On the other hand they aren't very supportive and the sole is no good for outdoor performance. They do wear out, but they'll last long enough and they aren't too pricey to replace. I keep an old pair of these for performing on surfaces I don't really want to subject my more expensive shoes to.

For performance, or even class, you could try a soft pair of the ballet flats that are now commonly sold for fashion purposes. They often come in sparkly or decorated versions and they can be quite cheap. An advantage with these is that they have a good sole for outside the studio or stage. Decorated slippers of various other kinds are also available, beaded slippers from Egypt or India are a common choice. Make sure they are a good fit, and practice in them, properly, before you try and perform in them.

Dance paws/lyrical shoes

If you like the barefoot feeling, but would like to improve your traction on the floor for smooth spins and perhaps protect your feet a little, dance paws are an excellent option.

They come in full foot options, that have a light suede sole on the ball of the foot and the heel, or a half foot option that only covers the ball. There are various designs but generally the toes are left free and the pads are held in place with mesh fabric, like a partial sock, or straps. They are usually flesh coloured, to give the illusion of dancing barefoot, although some funky colourways are now available, including prints, mehndi patterns and diamanté.

In my experience, dance paws are a consumable piece of kit. Over time, sweat and use will harden the suede sole, and eventually they crack and rip, or the straps holding them in place tear.

Jazz shoes

Jazz shoes offer good support for the foot, and dancers who need insoles or arch supports often wear them to train in. Generally the aesthetic isn't right for performance.

My favoured shoes are actually a kind of jazz sneaker from Capezio, in a style that look more like a lyrical shoe, but a lot more durable than dance paws. I have these in flesh colour and I have added hotfix gems to them, they are subtle enough to wear on stage but very supportive. The downside is that the fabrics absorb a lot of sweat and they are not pleasant scented to say the least. I've been wearing the same pair for 2 years now and they are showing minimal wear, which has made them a worthwhile investment.

Heels

This is more for performance than training, though if you perform in heels you will have to practice in them.

Many dancers like the aesthetic of  high heeled shoes with a sparkly costume. They work best for Oriental styles where you dance on your toes a lot regardless. They don't work for earthy styles. Wearing heels shifts your centre out of your pelvis, up and forward which compromises your gooey hipwork, but looks elegant for graceful travelling.

If you are dancing in heels, it is best to buy shoes specially designed for dancing. Tango shoes are structurally spectacular, but very expensive. Character shoes are slightly less dainty looking, but more stable and less expensive.

Ballroom shoes often have suede soles, which is great for dancing on clean, dance-specific floors, but if you plan to dance outside, or on a potentially dirty surface, you might want to consider something more durable.

Sandals

Flat sandals such as Grecian sandals or ghillies (the shoes worn by Irish dancers) are also popular amongst bellydancers for performance and training. Personally I've never felt confident enough to try a pair as you need a good shoe with a good fit for security and safety, but it's worth being aware that the option is available to you.

Socks 

Sometimes students in my classes want to wear socks to dance. As a point of safety I generally advise against this as socks are very slippery on the studio floor and put you at risk of injury. If you are practising at home, on carpet however, socks might be a reasonable option.

Slipper socks, with grips, are sometimes suggested for those who want to dance in socks, but in general they tend to have a very sloppy fit and either the foot slides around inside them, or they start creeping off the toes.

Some contemporary dancers wear socks on their toes, rolled down to allow traction on the heels smooth spins on the toes. I'm not convinced even by this option for bellydance however, especially Oriental style which involves a lot of dancing en releve where using the heel for grip is not an option.

If you have poor circulation or just get cold feet when you dance, then you do need to find a way to keep your feet warm. Dancing with cold feet can lead to discomfort and injury. In this case I would suggest either wearing thin socks (or tights) with dance shoes, or wearing yoga socks, which are tight fitting, with separate toes, and have a fine, even grip pattern over the whole foot and toes. Don't wear yoga socks to dance on carpet though, it rips the grip nodules off. Another option is leg warmers, the ones that cover the instep but leave the toes and heels out.

Most bellydancers experiment with different types of shoes until they find something that works for them. I have been through several shoe "phases", but ultimately your choice needs to be based upon what is comfortable and safe for you. If you don't feel confident on your feet, you are not getting the most out of your dance.

Cross training for bellydance

We often talk about bellydance as being complete exercise in its own right, and in many ways it can be. Depending on your style and how you train, bellydance can provide you with cardio, core strength, flexibility and endurance.

Fit for dance

Most higher level dancers however, supplement their dance training with other kinds of fitness training, for a number of reasons and it is likely that at some point (as I reported back here) you will feel like branching out a little.

Improving your cardiovascular fitness and stamina is generally helpful for any physical activity. The ability to dance an energetic 20 minute set without becoming noticably out of breath or sweaty is a useful part of the professional dancer's toolkit. Just practising your dance all out is helpful; but it is always worth training at a higher intensity than you would perform, so performance feels effortless.

Drilling your basic movements will help with range of movement, muscle strength and control, but you can support this process and improve your dance skills with targeted conditioning. There are also some advanced moves that are difficult or dangerous to attempt without a prerequisite of fitness that goes beyond the norm. For example level changes, backbends and turkish drops all require strength and flexibility at the outset and attempting the move without it can lead to bad form and injury.

Keeping a balance in your fitness is also important. If you are dancing a lot then you can end up with muscle development geared towards dance. That's not always a bad thing, but it is really important to be mindful of your body's alignment and balance. Releasing that tight psoas muscle, making sure that both sides of the body are equally strong (very important for ATS dancers) and supporting good posture will improve your health as a whole.

Exercise options for bellydancers

There is a huge range of fitness training that can be beneficial for bellydancers. Within reason it is worth considering what you enjoy and go for that, however it is important to consider your ongoing health and avoiding injury. There was a time when I trained WTF Tae Kwon Do, but full contact martial arts means lots of broken feet, which isn't something I can risk as a dancer. Here are some examples of cross training that is common amongst bellydancers.

Yoga

Let's blame Rachel Brice for this one, although I'm not sure she was the first bellydancer to train this way, Rachel's background as a yoga teacher coupled with her impressive strength and flexibility and her extensive influence in the Tribal Fusion community (and beyond) has made yoga a popular choice for bellydancers. Vinyasa flow yoga, an offshoot of Ashtanga that primarily consists of sequences based on an expanded sun salutation, is popular among dancers and great for core strength, alignment and good posture. Restorative yoga is also blissful for those times when you have trained a little too intensively and need to take care of yourself.

Pilates

Pilates is also great for dancers and there are a lot of bellydance specific pilates workouts available by bellydancers who also happen to be pilates teachers.

A pilates workout can be fairly gentle or very intense. It might involve weights and I really like it when it involves things like fitness balls for really good core conditioning. As with yoga there is a strong focus on alignment and good form to get the most out of the exercises whilst minimising the risk of injury.

With pilates you can focus very strongly on areas that you need for dance, like legs or abs, or go for a whole body workout.

Swimming

Another great option for a whole body workout that doesn't put too much strain on the body. The lack of load bearing is gentle on the joints and can be helpful for dancers who are rehabilitating from injuries. It is also a great way to get your upper body working.

Weight or resistance training.

I do very much enjoy lifting things. There is something immensely satisfying about lifting dumbells, and it is easy to slip a few reps in for 5 or 10 minutes now and again. If you like to train in company, you could try a kettlebells class. The upper body is often neglected, but it's important to remember that grace and fluidity in your arm movements will come through strength. Weight training can also be great for core conditioning and posture.

Cardio

Cardio is really important, but it's up to you how you do it. If you are sweaty and breathless you are getting there. Some dancers run regularly, some go to the gym, some do classes. I love a good intense 20 minute shimmy drill to combine cardio, stamina and technique.

Circuits

For a convenient and no nonsense way to combine cardio, strength, endurance and plyometrics, circuits can be a good option. If you don't really enjoy working out, the exercises happen in short bursts and change often, so you don't get too bored. Mixing up the exercises means you get to work on different muscles and you are not putting too much strain on particular areas for too long.

Some circuit exercises can be tough on the joints, but there are usually modifications or alternatives which a good trainer or class facilitator can help you with.

Keep dancing

So there you have it. See what you fancy and give it a try. Keep listening to your body and going back to your dance practice, see what makes the difference for you. It is immensely satisfying to see the results of your hard work manifesting in the quality of your dance!

Dancing your way to a healthier new you.

In August 2014, the Yahoo Contributor Network was shut down. All the copyrights to articles thereon were returned to their authors, so I decided to publish certain articles of mine, originally written for Yahoo UK on my own blogs. This is one of them.

I am going to make a confession here, so please be kind… I was once a terrible couch potato.

Actually I was more of a desk potato. Most of my free time was spent in my study, on my computer, gaming, chatting, writing. Despite having been fairly active in my teens and through my university life, once I was working I didn't seem to have the energy left at the end of the day to do anything active.

I know this is a common affliction. Finding time to fit in a workout can be a struggle for many of us. It's tough to get motivated, particularly in the winter months when it is cold and dark and all the best entertainment options involve being curled up under a blanket.

For me this changed very suddenly one September.

I rode my motorbike home from work, and noticed that my leather trousers were causing a really uncomfortable pressure on my right hand side. Over the weekend the pain worsened, and on the Monday, I was admitted to hospital with appendicitis. I left 5 days later following major surgery, as the infection had gone beyond the realms of keyhole surgery.

In less than a week I had gone from being capable, mobile and apparently healthy, to walking in an excruciating shuffle - via nearly dying from rotten insides. In my convalescence I reflected upon how fragile our health really is, and vowed that when I returned to full health, I would no longer take it for granted.

A couple of years previously I had taken bellydance classes. I didn't really get on with the class, despite being quite keen to dance, it wasn't the right teacher for me, or perhaps the right time, and as other commitments became more urgent, I stopped going.

This time I decided I was going to do better. I did some research and found a really great teacher. I bought a small library of practice DVDs.

I fell in love with the dance. So much that soon I was attending 2 or 3 classes a week. When I came home from work I no longer went straight to my computer. I would put on some music and practice my moves.

I was loving my new hobby so much, I barely noticed how it was challenging my body. I became stronger and fitter whilst having fun, getting out of the house and making friends.

As I improved my teacher asked me to join her performance troupe - so that was another class to attend! Tougher dance moves meant I had to raise my game, and soon I was putting in some intense yoga and pilates practice as well.

In less than a year my whole life had changed . I was out of the house more, I was more active, I was travelling all over the country to perform and train. Most of all I was healthier, happier and more confident.

Now I teach yoga and Arabic dance. I have come to see that mine is just one of so many similar stories. Dance is transformational. To anyone considering bringing more activity into their lifestyle, I would say, go for it. You will never regret giving it a try, and you could find a whole new lease of life.


ETA: When this was first published, the vast majority of comments on the article were regarding weight loss. For clarity I would like to add the following.

The focus of this article is health and fitness. Sometimes this equates to weight loss, or maintaining a slim figure, however this is not automatically the case. I am actually around 5kg heavier than I was before I started dancing, and a dress size larger. This is partly due to the 2 babies I have had, but the point is this: I have better cardiovascular fitness than before. My heart is stronger and healthier. My lungs are stronger and my asthma is better. My bum is undoubtably bigger, but it is made of solid muscle (that's where the sharp hip accents come from). My joints are less painful as they are stabilised and supported by dance muscle.

Being a bellydancer is about being strong and healthy and feeling good in your skin, not about how stretched your knicker elastic is (and if it is, just buy new knickers, it's just a number and you'll be comfier).

10 reasons why bellydance is the best way to get fit and healthy this New Year

1 - It's fun

Learning to dance is just great fun. It's a skill that you can use in all kinds of situations, dancing around your kitchen, at parties, even performing on stage. Dancing has a purpose within itself, it isn't about mindlessly moving the muscles to achieve an aesthetic result. This means that you are likely to want to keep doing it. Why take up an activity you don't enjoy, just to get fit? Take up a dance class, learn new things, make new friends, keep coming to class for more reasons than just getting sweaty.

2 - It's engaging

Learning Arabic dance isn't just about learning the steps, you also learn about culture and music. There is a rich backstory to this art form and a good teacher will trickle-feed information and anecdotes to keep your brain  as engaged as your body.

3 - Motivation that's about more than fitness

You know when they say "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"? Well, firstly, I am not convinced the person who came up with that had a very interesting diet, secondly, a distant, undefined goal of "be more healthy" isn't really all that motivating. It's a good intention, but I know that a warm sofa is a more appealing option on a January evening than a jog and that intention can feel a long way off.

When you are going to a dance class, you have progress to track, you may have learning goals for the term, a choreography to perfect for performance, there is always something to keep you turning up.

4 - The people

Some students turn up to their first class with a friend for "moral support", others find their friends there. Learning a dance that is appealing and accessible to people from all walks of life means meeting people who you might never have crossed paths with.

Through dance I have become close friends with people I would be unlikely to meet or get to know otherwise. Your dance path will cross with all kinds of people and your love of the dance provides an icebreaker. You can socialise with your dance friends not just in class, but also at dance events like haflas. Many new dancers find a whole new social scene. This keeps you motivated to stay dancing and active.

5 - Bellydance is for everybody

Going to a fitness class can be daunting, but most bellydance classes, especially beginner classes, are open and accepting of all kinds of people.

It doesn't matter if you are older or heavier, you CAN dance. There are classes available for pregnant women, disabled dancers and those who just want to go a little more gently; most teachers will offer gentle alternatives if the class is a little intense for your fitness level or ability.

Most classes are LGBT friendly. People of all genders are welcomed into my classes.

You don't have to bare your belly if you don't want to, a bellydance class should be a safe, friendly space where you can move, have fun and express yourself, no matter who you are or what you look like.

6 - Learn to love your body

We have already established that bellydance is great for your self esteem. Learning to move with grace and confidence, to walk taller has a knock on effect on how you feel about your body, no matter what size or shape you are.

I have focused on fitness here, rather than weight loss, very deliberately. Weight loss, should that be your goal, is about lifestyle balance, diet and activity, and dance alone is not guaranteed to shed pounds. It is also perfectly possible to be healthy, fit and active whilst wearing a larger dress size.

Regardless of size, negative body image is not helpful when you need to take care of your body. Crash dieting and inconsistent or binge exercising is not healthy for your metabolism, cardiovascular system or joints. When you love your body, you care for it better.

When I feel happy in my skin, I am more active, I eat healthier, I am more present in my own body and I gravitate towards healthier lifestyle choices.

Even if feeling better about yourself doesn't help your fitness regime, you're still feeling better about yourself, and that's never a bad thing.

7- It's a whole body workout

When you are learning bellydance you will find muscles in places you didn't know you had places! Dancing continuously through your class is a gentle cardio workout. Add in some extra shimmies and travelling and it can be a bit less gentle too!

Bellydance increases your core muscle strength, and your flexibility. It improves your posture and your coordination.

There comes a point in your dance career where you will want to cross train to complement your dance, but when you are starting out, bellydance gives a lot of fitness benefits for one class.

8 -  Dance is a gateway drug to cross training

Bellydance is great exercise in itself, but as you progress you will undoubtedly find that to improve your dance, you need to cross train. Swimming, yoga, pilates, some dancers run, some weight train.

I am not a fan of exercise for its own sake. I find it tedious, but when I have dance as the motivation behind it, I find myself wanting to do it. I started out doing Vinyasa flow yoga, which is common amongst bellydancers for strength, flexibility and alignment. Suhaila's beginner DVDs introduced me to pilates and now I mix fitness training in these styles with weights and drills as part of my daily dance conditioning. Datura Online has some fabulous conditioning segments. Ashley's Built for Bellydance series is challenging, but quite rewarding.

9 - We want you to succeed. 

Many of the fitness and weight loss industries rely on your failure for their profit. If any diet club, pill or product really worked, helped you lose weight and keep it lost, then it would cripple its own market. These products and services rely on you losing a little weight to begin with, to convince you that it "works" but hope that you put the weight back on, so that you keep coming back and spending more.

Many gyms operate on a model where there are more members than they have capacity. They know that a large portion of their members will not attend regularly, and they have no reason to encourage them to, as long as they pay the subscription.

When you attend a dance class, your progress should be important to your teacher. We want to see you healthy and fit, and able to progress in your dance. As dance students get better, they attend more classes, out of love, not obligation. They might even start performing, solo or in the student troupe, and that is great publicity for the dance school. A good teacher will actively encourage their students' improvements, not hope that they regress in order to start over.

10 - We have the best workout clothes

Sure you can turn up to class in a vest and a pair of leggings without too many holes, but I can almost guarantee that as the dance bug grips, you'll be sporting jingly hip scarves, sequinned cholis and diamante studded pants. What other fitness regime supports the wearing of body glitter?

So if you are looking for a new, fun way to keep active in the New Year, why not find your local bellydance class? And if you happen to be in Glastonbury or Bridgewater, you would be welcome at mine
!