Polynesian dance fitness and health stories really are quite common, and as an instructor & dancer of over 45 years experience, I've heard and witnessed many of them firsthand. In fact, I used my own hula & tahitian practice as a very effective cardio workout after having my kids.
Mindful that Polynesian Dance is a sacred and treasured part of the culture and history of Polynesia and the Pacific Islands, you can't deny that it's so much more. From the graceful arm movements that tell stories to the rapid hip movements, hula and ori tahiti require strength and stamina. It truly is a killer workout!
In fact, in 2005, Canadian Publication Flare Magazine featured hula - along with an interview with me as their hula expert - as one of their dance fitness ideas for their September Issue article Shall We Dance: Wake up your workout...!
All you need is a soft sarong/pareo/lavalava for your hips, a comfortable shirt (we dance barefoot!), and some drumbeats, and you're ready to start getting healthy while having fun!
Here are 5 reasons why your health could benefit from daily island dance:
1: It builds beautiful lean muscles.
A common complaint from my new students after the first class is "My muscles were SO sore after that class!" Yes, it takes muscles to move those arms and hands to tell a story! You will feel soreness in the upper arms (deltoids), and depending on how deeply you bend your knees for each kaholo (the popular basic side-to-side traveling hula movement), you'll also give your lower body a blast.
And of course, when you engage your abs to do a fa'arapu, you're engaging your abs for a great core workout.
2: It packs a great cardiovascular punch.
My dancers are always amazed at how out-of-breath they are after a 30 minute show! Make your own half hour hula dance playlist and burn 279 calories every workout... double that if you mix in some short blasts of fast ori tahiti .And you get that all without the joint-jarring common with other high-impact workouts.
For my own workout, I created a high-intensity interval training hula playlist for myself by putting in an ote'a song after every 2 hula songs. Just 20 minutes of that, and I'm done!
3: It's a weight-bearing, bone-building activity.
The continual kaholo is just like walking, and one of the many health benefits of walking is its ability to turn around rapid bone loss that occurs in menopausal women. And working out in this low-impact fashion alleviates the joint stress associated with higher-impact exercises.
4: It helps build grace and coordination.
Hula makes you use muscles that most likely have never been used in combination before. Many of us call it waking your hula muscles. With every part of your body doing something different, many times in opposite directions, you'll find your coordination and balance challenged and strengthened.
This is fantastic for the brain as it builds new connections.
5: It's fun!
Your hula workout can be as varied as the numerous hula songs out there! Mixing it up with ori tahiti numbers, dancing with friends, and even performing for loved ones offers options that can make your hula workout unique every time!
So, after all of that, you're dying to try it, right?
Well, if you live in Winnipeg, you're in luck! I'm a Certified HOT HULA fitness® Instructor, and I teach classes for fun and fitness! Click here for MORE INFORMATION!
I can't wait to see you in class!
