Category: Cardio Dance

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Got 7 minutes? Belly Dance inspired HIIT fitness

South Florida Belly Dance Fitness
photography by R_and_J Photography

Research shows that if you are short on time but still want to get fit, HIIT workouts are the way to go. What are HIIT workouts, you ask? HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Alternating low intensity movement with high intensity movement. And research shows that 7 minutes of HIIT workouts will produce the same results as 45 minutes of steady pace workouts. These workouts are great for targeting belly fat, reducing overall body fat, improving heart and lung health and improving immunity health. But why just do boring calisthenics everyday when you can add some fun sexy moves to the mix?

So here is my belly dance inspired HIIT 7 minute workout to target stubborn belly fat.

1 min (30 sec on each side) Turkish Kash step right 4, add figure eight arms 8, pivot repeat on left side

1 min (30 sec on each side) right hip drop kicks (3 sets of 8), first set no arms, second set add sunrise arms and sunset arms, repeat left hip drop kicks

1 min Egyptian folk step – small jump feet together know kick r and l pressing hands side

1 minute Hip bumps (2 sets of 8), Greek hip lifts (1 set of 8), hip extension 4x, switch sides and Repeat on the left side

1 min (30 sec on each side) right hip twist and turn it, repeat left

1 min Egyptian Shimmy, squeezing the glutes and pressing into the heels to make it as powerful as you can

1 min basic hip shimmy, add sunset arms, sunrise arms and snake arms


The best part of HIIT workouts, besides being short and effective, you can change what you do to target different areas or to drill and perfect new moves. Happy Shimmy’s

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Sleep and Health 8 Reasons not to Skip Sleep

Sleep is often overlooked in favor of squeezing in an extra workout or night out dancing so a quick reminder on some of the reasons why you shouldn’t take sleep for granted

  1. Weight Management. Proper sleep improves hormone-related hunger response. The better we sleep, the lower the body’s levels of the hormone ghrelin, which promotes appetite. Better sleep also increases the hormone, leptin which is the satiety hormone. This increase helps us feel full sooner so we eat less.
  2. Exercise Performance. Energy levels increase with better sleep so performance and enjoyment increases
  3. Heart Health. Better sleep reduces the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke by improving cardiovascular function.
  4. Inflammation Control. Sleep reduces the risk of inflammation in joints, muscles and connective tissues.
  5. Hormonal Output. Better sleep increases anabolic muscle-building hormones such as prolactin, testosterone, and growth hormones while decreasing catabolic muscle-wasting hormones such as cortisol, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6
  6. Brain Improvements. Sleep improves cognitive function, decision making and reaction times.
  7. Immune Response. Better sleep helps the body fight off colds, infections, and other common illnesses. It also helps the body respond better to serious health problems such as cancer and AIDS
  8. Emotional Well-being. Better sleep reduces the risk of mental illness, depression, and bipolar disorders

Taken from American Fitness Fall 2018

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3 Best Stretches for Splits

Ah the illusive split. Looks so awesome sliding down to the floor with a sword balanced perfectly on your head. So how do you get them? Well in high school I had to have both my right and left splits flat for Dancerettes. So these are my top favorite stretches I did the most to get them.

1. The Straddle stretch! Seated with legs open as wide as you comfortably can. Then alternate reaches. In Pilates it’s called the Saw. After each set of 25, I open my legs a little wider. Working up to 100

2. Then it’s  nose to knee and hold for 30 seconds. 30 seconds allows the muscle spindles to relax and you can safely push past your natural flexibility increasing your range of motion. Repeat on the other leg

3. Then walk your hands forward in the center with a flat back. Think about bringing your chest to the floor, not your head. Bringing your nose closer and closer to the floor until you can lie down flat.

Remember it takes two weeks of daily stretching to see results show don’t give up! You will have those coveted flat splits in no time!

Dawn Rhys, South Florida Belly Dancer
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Dancing Away the Blues!!

Dancing Away the Blues!

When facing a difficult time in your life, the first reaction is probably to curl up into a little ball and hide. But what if there was a better way? Something that could not only distract you from the pain of the situation, but could also strengthen your heart, body and soul. Exercising has so much research behind it pointing to the mood elevating benefits. And dancing has the added elements of improving memory and cognitive functions. But more than that, it takes you out of your solitude and puts you with others who share your joy and love of music and movement. Dancing is my refuge and my savior. It has never deserted me no matter how dark the skies look. The same cannot be said of some of the people who made the greatest promises. And so I not only teach Belly Dance Classes but I take dance classes and go out dancing every chance I get. It makes me feel stronger both emotionally and physically. And somehow makes everything a little brighter 🌞

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Fun Cardio!

Looking to burn fat, but bored with the usual suspects? Walking, running, weight training. All great forms of cardio but they can also become boring. And boring means you’re most likely going to quit. So try adding some Dance Fitness classes to your routine. Not only will you be getting a great workout, but you will also have a lot of fun and make some new friends. Making friends will help keep you motivated and keep you on track for your weight loss goals. As we get older, keeping the weight off becomes more challenging because our metabolism naturally slows. To the sad tune of 100 calories a day! So that means we have to cut 100 calories a day from our diets or burn an extra 100 calories a day not to gain weight. Dance Fitness classes like Belly Dance can burn anywhere from 300-400 calories in an hour!  So give it a try!

Boynton/Delray Classes