Dance Your Way to Weight Loss
I’ve found one workout that not only makes you sweat, but serves a purpose–hip hop aerobics. It’s a great class, and you walk away feeling like you can go to the club and not totally embarass yourself.
Such classes are offered at fitness clubs nationwide, but in a city where actual ‘street dance’ classes are hard to come by, it fits the bill for a way to lose weight and learn to dance.
The class I took is “Street2Club” at NeoLimits gym (fitness enhancement center, rather) in Dayton, Ohio. The class is an hour long, it starts out with a ‘warm up’ of crunches using a large ab ball. Let me tell you, I thought I had strong abs until that point…the crunches are done in every way, shape, and form to target every single muscle in your torso. I could feel it for days! After the warm up, the instructor puts on the latest club music, and we start learning the combination.
I, by all means, am NOT a good dancer. But this class really teaches you step by step so anyone can catch on. I was able to follow the instructor and keep up with the class fairly well…it also helps having the music up loud so you can get a good rhythm going.
By the end of the hour, I was dancing like a pro (ok, not a pro… but i could have been a back up dancer for some C-rate rapper), and sweating like I’d just run a couple miles.
A friend of mine recently purchased a Hip Hop Aerobics DVD… she says it’s a butt-kicking program as well, but it’s the same routine each time. That’s an advantage to the ‘live’ classes.. the instructor can help you out if you’re having trouble with your moves, and give you the option of mixing up the routine each session.
If you’re looking for a way to shed pounds a fun way… and gain skills on the dance floor… I highly recommend finding a hip hop aerobics class in your area and rocking out!
