Belly-Dance is good for you

by Angelique
http://www.angeliqueandfriends.com/good.html Many people are surprised to learn that Middle-Eastern Dance, commonly known as "belly-dance," involves much more than the belly! In fact, belly-dance can benefit many parts of the body. Here are some of the health benefits of Middle-Eastern Dance:

• Exercising the carrying muscles without impact. A belly-dancer uses her quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes to hold her steady as she performs hip movements or travels smoothly across the floor. However, even though she gets a great lower-body workout, the amount of impact to her knees and ankles is minimal. Impact is measured not only by how hard our feet strike the ground, but by how much stress is placed on our joints. Using this measure, most of Middle-Eastern dance is considered non-impact; some tribal and folk dances are low-impact.
• Building the back muscles evenly. Belly-dancers use their torsos a lot-much more than ballet, modern or tap dancers. Only jazz dancers come close to our use of rib movements and undulations. These movements, coupled with shoulder movements, exercise the back muscles, and they exercise the muscles evenly. Strong back muscles prevent back injuries, and they promote good posture as well.
• Exercising the arms. New belly-dance students are always surprised by much they have to use their arm muscles. Belly-dancers have to hold their arms up for long periods of time, and it actually takes quite a lot of strength to perform arm movements slowly and gracefully.
• Aiding digestion. It's true! Exercising the abdominal area, not just by rolling the belly, but also by swaying the torso, helps food move along the digestive system. Any form of exercise will have this effect to some degree, but belly-dance is especially good for this purpose.

Sex Position to Achieve Weight Loss

9 Hot Sex Position to Achieve Weight Loss

Sex has been claimed to produce health benefits as varied as stress reliever and blood pressure reduction. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Healthy sex is also associated with weight loss. Thirty minutes of active sex burns 200 calories. These are 9 sexercise to keep you steamy, hot and sensual in bed while burn calories.

1. Missionary

This man-on-top position can strengthen the core muscle by focusing on pelvic lifting using the core instead of lower back. Stacy Berman, a New York City-based certified fitness trainer and founder of Stacy's Boot Camp said: "If your partner is thrusting toward you, you want to have an equal and opposite thrust back, and that requires a lot of core strength. It actually will start burning." According to Patti Britton, author of The Art of Sex Coaching, a good butt workout also can be done by doing more on buttock squeezes.

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2. Doggy style

"Penetration-from-behind sex engages the woman's core because she has to stabilize herself on all fours," says Berman. Put your hands on a wall in front of you rather than having it flat on the bed. This way you will be working your upper body to help thrust, and that would be a good shoulder and upper body workout.

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3. Cowgirl

In this riding-a-horse position, the lower part of the woman's legs are braced on the bed or floor, which will engage her butt and core. Pressing into the man's abs and sides with her quads or calves can engage those muscles as well, according to Yvonne K. Fulbright, a certified sex educator and author of Touch Me There!

Modifying the cowgirl position can work additional muscle groups. "To make it even more intense, she can come up onto her feet, almost like a squat over him. That's all butt, legs, and hips," says Berman. "If she gets up onto her feet and leans onto her hands, she'll also have to use her upper body to balance."

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4. Lotus

To get into the position, the giver sits cross-legged (lotus-style) while the receiver sits into their lap facing them. The receiver wraps their legs around the giver; both wrap their arms around each other for support. This provides a good angle for penetration. The giver and receiver together set up a rocking (fluid) motion to gain movement during penetration.

Like the missionary position, the lotus sitting position is one of the more passive sex positions. However, many of the same muscles worked in the cowgirl position are going to be used in this contortion: the core is engaged to stabilize the body, and the glutes are worked during thrusting.

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5. Standing

Standing is one of the more challenging positions because often the woman has to allow her partner to lift her in some way, says Britton.

If the man and woman are facing each other, core and upper-leg strength comes into play: if she's standing on one leg, those leg muscles are worked to keep her upright, and core muscles are engaged to keep her balanced. If she's wrapping both legs around her partner, she'll need good arm strength to hold onto her partner. And regardless which one of these contortions she's in, "she has to have stamina if she's standing," says Britton.

If the man and woman are facing the same direction, the same muscles engaged in doggy-style are used: she'll work her core for balance, and her arms can be worked if she's bracing herself against a wall or headboard and using them to help thrust.

6. Scissor

According to Britton, the scissors position is the least strenuous of all -- there's no suspending of body weight, and it generally makes for gentler and slower penetration (which would explain why it's often recommended for pregnant women). "Scissors is for when you're tired, not for being an acrobat in bed," she says. Still, that's not to say you won't still be engaging muscle groups.

With your legs intercrossed with your partner's, there's limited movement for both the man and women, so a lot of inner-thigh strength and core stabilization will be at work. "When you squeeze your inner thighs, the core will naturally contract as well," Berman explains.

7. Bridge

With the bridge, the woman is facing upward, using all four limbs to hold her body weight off the bed. All our sex experts agree: this pose is not for the weak. "This is a highly advanced position," Britton says.

Even if you pile a tower of pillows under your back to help support your weight (which Britton recommends), you'll still definitely be working your buttocks and inner-thigh muscles, says Fulbright. "This is going to work all of it -- her biceps, triceps, abs, glutes, quads, calves. Unless she's really strong, she shouldn't expect to hold this position for long."

8. Arch

The arch is a modified bridge pose, with a woman resting on her shoulders while using her legs to hold her lower body off the bed.

"In many ways, she's using the same muscle groups as for the bridge, only working them harder because she's using less to hold herself up," says Fulbright. Your core muscles, glutes, and thighs are all worked in the arch. However, Britton considers this a much safer position than the bridge: "There's no strain on the neck or shoulder region, which can seize up."

RELATED: 101 Sex Positions: Steamy New Positions From Mild to Wild


9. Lunges

Like the name suggests, the lunge position has the woman sitting on top of the man, with one leg planted in front of her and the other leg extended behind her in between the man's legs. This move is good for the quad, front of the leg, hamstring, core, and butt, says Berman. "It'll also work the deep stabilizer muscle of the leg in the front -- both inner and outer thigh -- as well as stretch the back leg's hip flexor," she says. "That's great because most people sit at desk all day, and this way you can stretch it out."

Source: Fitness Magazine and Sex Info

The Health Benefits of Belly Dancing

Sheri Waldrop
Source: http://www.discoverbellydance.com/discoverbellydance/vol_3_no_1.htm

• Raks Sharki, also called belly dance, is a form of dance that many are familiar with. But few understand the effects it has on the human body. The graceful hip drops, rolls, and pivots of this dance form utilize muscle groups in the abdomen, pelvis, trunk, spine, and neck, working with the body instead of against it. Unlike ballet, which can potentially alter and deform the skeleton, or other dance forms that work against rather than with the body's physical inclinations, raks sharki is based on movements that come naturally to the female form. There is a wealth of health benefits awaiting those who practice this form of dance.
• Improved posture and muscle toning
  Our spinal column contains more bones and ligaments than any other part of the body. Its 33 vertebrae are stacked together in a column joined together by cartilage and ligaments, and almost every movement of the torso depends upon its flexibility and function. Muscle groups that attach to the ligaments and vertebrae create movement in the trunk and pelvis areas. Raks sharki tones these muscles and maintains flexibility in a safe and effective manner. During the dance, the movements of hip drops, circles, figure eights, and shimmies put the joints and ligaments in the lower back and hip through a full range of gentle, repetitive motion. This movement helps increase the flow of synovial fluid (nature's lubricant) in these joints. When movements are done properly, the pelvis is tipped forward, or tucked somewhat; a neutral position that can help prevent lower back problems. Raks sharki can help relieve stress to the back, counteracting the almost constant compression of the disks that occurs from sitting and a sedentary lifestyle.
  These toned muscles improve posture and help prevent back pain that can be caused by the unnatural curving forward of the spine that occurs when muscle groups are weak (lordosis). Small muscle groups deep in the back that are normally under-exercised are used and strengthened. The muscles surrounding the hip, the largest joint in the body, are used and exercised during hip drops, and figure eights, enhancing flexibility and suppleness. Improved hip flexibility can lead to improved balance when walking as well.
  Arms and Shoulders are exercised when doing lifts, circles, or the rippling motions of snake arms, toning muscle. This toning effect is often evident early on, since holding the arms aloft are an important element of the dance, even for beginners.
  Because a woman is on her feet, moving during the dance, it is considered a weight-bearing exercise. Weight-bearing exercise can prevent osteoporosis and strengthen bones, and the overall toning can lead to an improved self-image, as the dancer becomes more balanced and poised. Raks sharki is considered a low-impact exercise, meaning the risk of injury is minimal when movements are done correctly. The benefits of belly dance can be enjoyed by women of all ages; men and children are participating in the dance as well, and reaping the same benefits.
  
• Weight loss
  According to Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat, M.D., raks sharki can burn up to 300 calories per hour. This estimate will vary, of course, depending on the intensity of your dancing. Combined with a healthy diet that involves sensible eating, raks sharki can without a doubt be part of a sound weight loss program. Many dance classes take place only once or twice a week. For even better results and enhanced cardiovascular benefits, try combining the flexibility and muscle strengthening of raks sharki with an aerobic routine, such as swimming or bike riding, on the days you don't have class. Your entire body will feel the benefits as the aerobic exercise works large muscle groups, and the dance enhances strength and coordination of small muscle groups in the trunk, hips, and arms. Also, many exercise physiologists recommend doing just such a routine: alternating one form of exercise with another, for maximum benefits.
  
• Preparation for childbirth
  The movements of raks sharki make an excellent prenatal exercise regimen that strengthens the muscles used during the childbirth process. The toned abdominal muscles and natural hip tucks, which are similar to the "pelvic rocking" taught during prenatal classes, teach the expectant mother how to move her pelvis. For women who desire natural childbirth, this form of exercise through dance, with its emphasis on muscle control not only facilitates natural childbirth, but also makes an excellent post-natal exercise that helps encourage abdominal tone. During those first weeks after giving birth, when caution is needed while healing from the birth process, these movements work the muscles gently and effectively, if done very gradually.
• Stress reduction
  In this day and age of almost continuous stress, the subtle rhythms of raks sharki and the traditional movements are calming. The repetitive movements of the dance and the concentration needed to do them can help a mind filled with daily stress to "let go" for a while and relax. It's hard to worry about deadlines at work when you are thinking about getting that next drop just right, or while making sure that you are in time with the music. One effect of stress is that our bodies tense up, causing contractions or spasms in muscle groups, such as those in the neck, shoulders, or back. When a muscle is contracted, lactic acid builds up, causing the "soreness" or pain that occurs. Blood flow to the affected muscles decreases as well.
  Raks sharki, on the other hand, gently stretches and uses these vulnerable muscle groups, and as they are utilized, blood flow increases and lactic acid is flushed away. Stressed muscles relax as they are gently exercised, relieving the "clenched" muscles often seen in our society. The body becomes supple and limber, and practitioners frequently report that pain diminishes in the back and neck areas.
  Raks sharki is a fun, healthy way to exercise. It can be a creative outlet that conditions, tones, and allows a woman to tune into the natural movements of her body. It can refresh, relax, and/or exhilarate. So why wait? Find out where classes are held locally, or visit Bhuz.com to look up a class and join in this centuries old dance!
  Advisory: Many doctors have suggested belly dancing classes as part of rehabilitation from injury; it is, however, important to check with your own medical provider before starting any new form of exercise, especially if you are over 40, pregnant or have medical problems. Most injuries related to "overdoing" for the beginner can be avoided by warming the muscles first and by remembering to do some basic stretching afterward. Listen to your body's signals. Raks sharki, or belly dance, is a wonderful and gentle way to begin to condition your body. 

WHY ARAB WOMEN ARE THE BEST?

The fact that all women in the world have to accept with opened mind.. The arab women are the best in treating their men with full of politeness, tenderness and lust. They have soft and tanned skin.. They love to belly dance in front of their spouse before sex.. To them their men are king and treating their men as best as they could can send them to heaven.. They had good body gesture and stamina because of practicing belly dance. Some people said they had warm vagina and very good vagina muscle. All that because of the frequently practicing the belly dance. Can the caucasian, asian and other women in the world keep up with them?.....