Written By: Kriti Saraswat | Updated : February 1, 2017 5:50 PM IST
Pole dancing: It is not only sexy, but it is also an excellent way to trim your waistline. According to Shilpa Rane, a dance instructor who conducts pole fitness classes in Mumbai, pole dancing can help you burn up to 90 calories in 15 minutes. It tones the thigh muscles, improves flexibility and posture, and releases endorphin hormones which keep you happy and energetic.
The countdown to Valentine's Day has begun and you wouldn't want to look unfit on your date. Try out these sexy fitness workouts and slip into your little black dress looking stunning than ever.
Fitness pole dance
You've seen it in Hollywood movies, where a sexy lass struts in her stilettoes and dances with a pole seductively while men ogle at her. Though pole dancing has always been portrayed as a sleazy act in movies, it has taken a u-turn nowadays. Many are taking it up for its fitness benefits and for the added fun of those dance moves that come with it. Already a hit in the West, in India fitness pole dance is still in its nascent stages. There are a few classes available in the urban cities and women are slyly stepping out to explore this sensual dance-cum-fitness programme. Keeping the sexy act aside, one may wonder what fitness workout can a pole offer? Turns out, many. It tones the thigh muscles, improves flexibility and posture, and releases endorphin hormones which keep one happy and energetic. But the cherry on the cake is the fun element that it brings with it. A typical fitness pole dance class comprises only a few woman participants and the instructor with no male leering at you from anywhere. The steps are set to music and you try out different moves and spins around the pole. The exhilarating feeling of letting go of your inhibitions and dancing and swirling in high heels around a pole is not only sexy but also liberating for a woman.
V-Day Tip: Spice things up on Valentine's Day with your pole dancing skills. Circle around him and show your moves with confidence. It will be a gift he won't forget too easily.
Hula-hoop workout
You must have done it as kids swivelling the hoop around your tiny waist and counting the number of rounds one could do without letting it fall to the ground, whoever got the most, won. What was fun in childhood can now turn into your fitness workout, letting you lose that extra inch or kilo. The good part is you can do it anywhere, even in your living room without taking the trouble of going to gyms or fitness centres. 30 minutes of hula-hoop workout everyday and you are sure to tone-up those thighs, abdominals, arms and belly. What's more! You can even get your girlfriends together and have a fun hula-hoop workout session at your place, just like you did as a kid. So put on that hoop around your waistline and sway your hips from side to side as you burn away those calories.
V-Day Tip: Get adventurous and put on three-four hoops at once without letting any of them fall. Put on some music and perform a mini-dance for your valentine. You can even get him to join you in the same hoop and dance together in your 'ring of love'.
Belly dance fitness
The sultry pelvic movements, the swivelling hips and the rhythmic belly movements, all make up for a visual treat; now add the fact that it could also help you shape-up, and you have a fitness workout that is both fun and sensuous. Belly dance, which originated in middle-eastern countries, has enthralled the world with its dance moves and melodious songs and its usage in pop culture and movies has further enhanced its popularity. Be it Shakira effortlessly wowing us in Hips Don't Lie or Katrina Kaif raising the temperature in Mashallah song, belly dance has always been a sensual form of dance. Unbelievable but true, it can also help strengthen your abdominal core muscles, impart body awareness and relieve back pain. Since the moves involve isolation of body parts, they improve the flexibility of muscles, and lengthen and strengthen the entire column of spine in a gentle manner. Belly dance is catching up as a fitness workout in the country and today, one can find various dance and gym studios that offer it to their female patrons. Many first-timers feel shy exposing their midriff and shaking those hips to the beat but once they get past the initial few classes, it is only fun, sweat and a lot of dirty dancing that remains.
V-Day Tip: Set the mood and surprise your valentine with some mean belly dance moves on his favourite track.
Strip aerobics
Now that's a workout that stirs up quite a few images in your head. Move over the tried and tested aerobics and try out its racier version, strip aerobics. The exercises differ slightly than traditional aerobics and involve floor workouts, sexy moves and lots of sweat and fun. The participants don't really strip down to their basics. They wear layers on top of their gym wear and take them off to the music while they workout. The idea is to learn moves similar to a striptease and get fit while doing it but not strip completely in the class. There are special women-only classes conducted by a few gyms where you can learn this sensuous workout. Or else, order a DVD at home and try it alone if you are too reticent to do it in public. Don't be fooled by its name, it is still an intense programme and you will break a sweat.
V-Day Tip: Take your romance quotient a notch higher by doing a sexy striptease for your valentine, and this time you don't have to stop at your gym wear.
So add a little sexy in your exercise, get a little flirty with your fitness regimen and tone-up before you go on that date with your valentine.
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