Will bellydance help me lose weight?

As a personal trainer I can tell you with confidence that there is no easy answer to this. Losing weight depends on a lot of variables. Your current health and medications can affect your ability to lose weight. And how much you lose depends on your current activity levels, caloric intake, level of intensity of exercise and how frequently you exercise.

If you are sedentary then any form of movement is good for you. Bellydance is a great way to start. A beginning bellydance class is a great low impact activity. However, it is a dance class and time is usually taken to stop and explain movements and foot patterns along with musical interpretation and cultural understanding. So one should not expect to lose any significant amount of weight from a bellydance class alone if you are just beginning. However, more advance lessons can be more physically demanding and often dancers that see progress are also cross training with cardio, strength or Pilates classes.

If weight loss is your goal then consulting your physician is the first step in order to rule out medical conditions that affect weight. I also recommend consulting a certified dietitian/nutritionist along with a personal trainer (such as myself) to develop a training plan that will help you accomplish your goals. To learn more about what I can do for you as a personal trainer click here.