Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Slim Down

I love this DVD for a fun bellydance workout that keeps my heart rate up and burns calories. Other than during the warm-up and cool down, you are almost constantly bouncing, traveling or shimmying. I use a heart rate monitor when I exercise and the main part of this workout easily keeps my heart rate in zone 2 (70%-80%) and occasionally gets up to zone 3 (80%+). The moves are simple and easy to follow. There is no floor work to take away from the cardio, and the few isolations are done quickly in between bouncing so your heart rate stays up throughout. At about 30 minutes, it's easy to fit the workout in even when you're pressed for time. Sometimes it would be nice if the workout was longer, but you can easily go back to just after the warm-up and repeat the main workout again before doing the cool down. If you're looking for bellydance instruction, this is not the DVD for you. This workout doesn't teach you bellydance, and it isn't designed to do so. It's definitely not a routine that you'll want to perform as a dance. In fact, some of the moves are pretty silly, but it's fun to just let go and enjoy bouncing around. (Think of Phoebe running on Friends, if that helps!) The verbal cues are sometimes a little off, but the workout is easy enough to follow without them. The twins don't speak directly, and the narration comes from a voiceover. Sometimes they seem on the verge of laughing, which always makes me smile. Some reviews say that there's too much bouncing in barefeet. That doesn't bother me (or my knees), but you could easily wear tennis shoes if you wanted some more support. And yes, a sports bra is a good idea (but I tend to think that's a given).

I have been wanting to try bellydancing on and off for a couple of years, but kept pushing it to the back burner. I finally ordered this DVD and got it the other day and I have to say I'm so sad I waited so long to try it!!! I had so much fun working out!!! Neena and Veena are so graceful and beautiful to watch! I'm a true beginner when it comes to dancing and I found it very easy to follow along. Like some of the other reviewers had mentioned, there are a couple of short sections where they're showing you the dancer's face and not their feet. However, that's very short and within a couple of seconds you can see the full body shot. My only downfall about this DVD is that it's only 30 minutes!! The 30 minutes is great for a quick workout and it definitley does the trick, but I was sad it was over so quickly. So, to solve that problem I've already ordered a new, longer dvd. In the end..if you're in a workout run (like I was), this is a great pick me up..it adds an element of fun, it doesn't feel like working out and you feel great while you're doing it!

I LOVED "Slim Down". Although I started out with Basic Dance, Beyond Basic Dance, and Mystic Dance by Veena & Neena - I found Slim Down to be the most effective in getting heart rate up to burn calories and to tone my arms & waist. Mind you, I love all of their DVDs, as they teach you step by step all of the moves, however, Slim Down was not only clear in narration but also effective in me losing 8lbs in 2 weeks. (I started 3 weeks ago) Five days a week, every morning I do the full 30 minutes of "Slim Down" followed by another 30 minutes of yet another Veena & Neena DVD: "Arms, Abs and Hips, Buns & Thighs". Totaling a full-hour of cardio, and muscle toning and strengthening. Pair that with a healthy diet and tons of water, the pounds fell off fast! My shoulders look amazing, and my 'bat wings' are tighter and slimmer. I feel great now wearing strapless tops and summer dresses. Every two weeks I plan to step it up to avoid plateauing. Now in addition to the full-hour of Neena and Veena, I do 30-minutes of various minor weight lifting prior. But keeping with the review of "Slim Down", I find it motivating and active. After youre done, you'll be sweating buckets like myself. If you keep up with it, and maintain a proper diet, you'll begin to see weight loss and increased muscle strength!

Exactly as described, arrived on time. Works well. Enjoying dancing along.

This is part of the Bellydance Fitness for Beginners series, which also includes, Basic Moves, Fat Burning, Arms and Abs, & Hips, Buns and Thighs. This program is a nice alternative to mainstream aerobics, and I really like the fact that these twins are 'real women' and not the stick insects that you see so often on mainstream fitness videos. This workout is all cardiovascular and it does involve bouncing. You can, however, bounce as intensely or as mildly as you like. It is a very effective heart rate booster, and you will feel like you did a low impact aerobics class. Some reviews I have read on the American site, people think it's too much impact for doing the workout barefoot. As I said, you can tailor it to your needs. If you like high impact, put your shoes on and bounce to your heart's content. If you like low impact, you can bounce without your feet leaving the floor. I like the program, and find it to be an effective workout, but then every one of their programs that I have (Basic Moves, Fat Burning, Arms & Abs, and Hips, Buns & Thighs) all get the heart rate up. I even have their Discover Bellydance Series (also sold as Sensual Art of Bellydance). This series (Discover Bellydance) is bascially like a dance class and you learn step by step choreography and then put it together at the end. That also gets the heart rate up. So if you are looking for a fitness DVD with Bellydance moves in it, this is for you. If you want to learn Bellydance as a dance and perform it, then try their Discover Bellydance series.

双子ベリーダンスで有名なNeena & Veenaによるベリーダンスの動きを使った 30分の燃焼ワークアウトです。飛び跳ねるような動きが入っているので 階下への騒音が気になる方は要注意。柔軟性を高めるためのBonus Workoutが入っています。 特典映像にはMarinaのパフォーマンス。英語音声のみ。 リージョンオールなので日本の普通のＤＶＤプレーヤーで視聴可能。 このシリーズのBasic movesを持っている人には、かぶっている動きが多いので必要ないかも。

I've been attending some belly dancing classes locally but I find that it's hard to practice at home as I tend to forget the steps. The beautiful twins Neena and Veena makes the lesson so fun and easy.

わたくし、このシリーズがとても気に入っているんですけど、基本的な動きがまだ充分にマスターできていないのと、マンションの上階に住んでいるのとでこのビデオはあんまりつかえないなあと、一見してがっかりしました。動きが速いし、ジャンプが結構多いんですね。といっても、大きく高くとぶのではなく、小さな軽い動きなので、見る人の工夫で音を出さずにエクササイズできるかも。