Treadmills and stationary bikes and floor mats¦ oh my? If your fitness regimen needs a little livening up, try one of these dance-inspired workouts! Not only are they fun, but you’ll be twirling, grinding and sashaying to a healthier self before you know it.
Zumba
No, this isn’t a licorice-flavored alcoholic beverage. Nor is it the name of a South African country. Zumba is a popular, new style of dance fitness that has become a spicy alternative to typical aerobics classes. It combines Latin rhythms and movements with more traditional resistance training. The result is a calorie-blasting workout that will make you feel like you’re in a Latin cantina with a sexy dance partner named Paulo!
Calories Burned: 500 per hour
Pole Dancing
Ever wonder where exotic dancers get their super toned bodies? All that spinning and climbing is a surprisingly intense workout! However, if gentlemen’s clubs aren’t quite your thing, female-friendly pole dancing gyms like Flirty Girl Fitness are a great way to try out this sexy form of exercise! Pole dancing can help you embrace your sensuality, tone your butt to G-string-worthy status and get killer upper body strength.
Calories Burned: 400 per hour
Hip-Hop
You may not be the next Ciara, but hip-hop-inspired workouts can be a great way to get her rock-hard body. This hard-hitting dance form works multiple muscle groups and is great for fighting fat. However, for those of us with white girl style, videos like Hip-Hop Abs allow you to bust a move in the privacy of your living room. Don’t worry, nobody but you needs to see that awkward attempt at a booty bounce.
Calories Burned: 350 per hour
Belly Dancing
Belly dancing may be all about the curves, but it can also be a sultry way to slim your silhouette. Needless to say, with all of that shimmying and undulating, belly dancing can be an amazing way to develop core strength! Try visiting a belly dance studio such as Arabesqu in Toronto to shake up a bland work out routine. Your belly will thank you and, a few Egyptian Twists later, so will your man!
Calories Burned: 300 per hour
Ballet
This isn’t the tutu-clad ballet you did at age five. (Although if you feel like rocking pink tulle, go for it.) Nowadays, there are many modern ballet fusion workouts available. Ballet fitness not only burns fat but it is great for improving your flexibility, balance and posture. While ballet studios may feel a bit hoity, DVDs like Ballet Boot Camp will help you plié© your way to a sexy set of thighs.
Calories Burned: 300 per hour
