flat tummy - Page 3

bellyqueen · 12-13-2007, 06:54 PM

thankyou i shall look on youtube

Shanazel · 12-13-2007, 07:09 PM

Quote:

I am?

Yes, you ARE! Thank you.

bellyqueen · 12-13-2007, 09:14 PM

yes i am thankfull

Yshka · 12-13-2007, 11:11 PM

Dear Bellyqueen,

what I've noticed is that bellydance doesn't 'give you a flat tummy' but DOES tone you up nicely. How fast it happens and how much it shows differs for every person.

My belly is not flat AT ALL, but it is visibly toned and strong, and IMO that is beautiful on any woman of any size.
A friend of mine quit bellydancing because she used to have an ultra-flat belly and now the bellydancing was giving her a rounder, curvier one since her muscles grew stronger and became visible. She hated it lol

.

Everybody is different and I believe some may be flat while others are just meant to be curvy. In bellydancing, go for the fun, the dance, the expression (and the pretty sparklies too, sequins and beads look good on every woman

) and love every minute of it. Don't focus too much on the flat part. If you keep dancing, in time you'll end up toned and beautiful and I'm sure you'll be happy with the outcome.

Good luck!

Chani · 12-13-2007, 11:43 PM

My tummy is flat just because I am made that way - it's flat when I exercise and flat when I am lazy and completely unfit. I also have scrawny legs, a flat bum and no hips to speak of. If it weren't for my boobs I'd have no curves at all. I long for a bit more padding so that the stretched skin on my abdomen from 4 pregnancies didn't look so awful. My youngest child once said the folds of skin on my tummy are like a guitar :o(

However, I am noticing a change from belly dancing. I've only been belly dancing for 3 months but I practice many hours a week. My husband and I noticed a definite change in my shape after about 6 weeks. My tummy seems to be a little rounder and kind of sticks out a little more plus I am developing a new shape because of the muscles developing - it's hard to describe but I went from being very flat to having a defined section down the middle of my abdomen - it's far from a 6 pack but that area looks obviously toned compared to my sides whereas before it wasn't. My guess is that those ladies who are belly dancing and who are a bit better padded out than I am are also developing the same underlying shape in their abdominal area that I am but that the change is less noticeable.

What I notice is that both my instructor and her student instructor, who have very different body shapes, don't have flat tummies or obvious abdominal muscles but the underlying tone is there.

I find a curved tummy very feminine and lovely to see.

Chani

Yshka · 12-13-2007, 11:59 PM

Dear Chani, thank you! That is exactly what I was trying to say, though I should mention that even when I had a lot more padding (I lost quite a bit of weight since the moment I started dancing because of healthier eating habits) the toned muscles underneath and the changing bodyshape was clearly visible. I think toned up curvyness looks amazingly beautiful!

Brea · 12-15-2007, 05:50 PM

Yes, I wanted to second the comment about it getting rounder! All my students were dismayed when I told them that their bellies would probably stick out more because of the way the muscles are used. We are doing a lot of pushing out instead of crunching in. I am one of the girls with 'more padding' but I still see the definition in my stomach. Now, can anyone do anything about my duck feet?

BTW that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen chryssanthi!!

nightdancer · 12-15-2007, 06:51 PM

On the subject of lovely tummies-

I was laying in bed, talking to my 8 year old this morning. I was wearing a tank top and a pair of ol' whatsisname's boxers, so a good 6 inches of my tummy was showing. The little one poked at my tummy, so I did a belly roll under her finger. She giggled. Then she asked me about my stretch marks, that are now silvered out. I told her that it happens when the skin stretched from pregnancy. She exclaimed "Mum, they are just like tiger stripes! They are beautiful!"

So ladies, we do not have stretch marks, we have tiger stripes. And they, like a tiger's stripes, are beautiful. Ask the 8 year old.

Just thought I'd share.

Aniseteph · 12-15-2007, 07:38 PM

Yay! Tiger stripes

(I grew too fast and got LOADS as a teenager. Pregnancy-related ones weren't really an issue after that)

Still got my tum, but with belly dance it looks much better because what's under the padding is more toned up.

I went to a Callanetics class years back and the teacher had such a flat muscly tum that when she tucked her tail under it looked quite scary.

Quote:

A friend of mine quit bellydancing because she used to have an ultra-flat belly and now the bellydancing was giving her a rounder, curvier one

Eh? A flat tummy more important than belly dancing - is she MAD?!!!!

Ariella · 12-15-2007, 10:40 PM

A woman without belly is like a sky without stars. - Arab idiom

Maybe this is why my egyptian friends keep asking me how I can be a belly dancer with no belly. I have the same body type as Chani - the only curves I ever get are from working out.

In other news, Chryssanthi's sword dance is super cool.

12-13-2007, 11:11 PM	#24 (permalink)
Yshka Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,251	Dear Bellyqueen, what I've noticed is that bellydance doesn't 'give you a flat tummy' but DOES tone you up nicely. How fast it happens and how much it shows differs for every person. My belly is not flat AT ALL, but it is visibly toned and strong, and IMO that is beautiful on any woman of any size. A friend of mine quit bellydancing because she used to have an ultra-flat belly and now the bellydancing was giving her a rounder, curvier one since her muscles grew stronger and became visible. She hated it lol. Everybody is different and I believe some may be flat while others are just meant to be curvy. In bellydancing, go for the fun, the dance, the expression (and the pretty sparklies too, sequins and beads look good on every woman ) and love every minute of it. Don't focus too much on the flat part. If you keep dancing, in time you'll end up toned and beautiful and I'm sure you'll be happy with the outcome. Good luck!

12-15-2007, 05:50 PM	#27 (permalink)
Brea V.I.P. Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,283	Yes, I wanted to second the comment about it getting rounder! All my students were dismayed when I told them that their bellies would probably stick out more because of the way the muscles are used. We are doing a lot of pushing out instead of crunching in. I am one of the girls with 'more padding' but I still see the definition in my stomach. Now, can anyone do anything about my duck feet? BTW that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen chryssanthi!! __________________ www.breamorgiane.com

12-13-2007, 06:54 PM	#21 (permalink)
bellyqueen Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 55	thankyou i shall look on youtube

12-13-2007, 09:14 PM	#23 (permalink)
bellyqueen Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 55	yes i am thankfull

12-13-2007, 11:43 PM	#25 (permalink)
Chani Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 139	My tummy is flat just because I am made that way - it's flat when I exercise and flat when I am lazy and completely unfit. I also have scrawny legs, a flat bum and no hips to speak of. If it weren't for my boobs I'd have no curves at all. I long for a bit more padding so that the stretched skin on my abdomen from 4 pregnancies didn't look so awful. My youngest child once said the folds of skin on my tummy are like a guitar :o( However, I am noticing a change from belly dancing. I've only been belly dancing for 3 months but I practice many hours a week. My husband and I noticed a definite change in my shape after about 6 weeks. My tummy seems to be a little rounder and kind of sticks out a little more plus I am developing a new shape because of the muscles developing - it's hard to describe but I went from being very flat to having a defined section down the middle of my abdomen - it's far from a 6 pack but that area looks obviously toned compared to my sides whereas before it wasn't. My guess is that those ladies who are belly dancing and who are a bit better padded out than I am are also developing the same underlying shape in their abdominal area that I am but that the change is less noticeable. What I notice is that both my instructor and her student instructor, who have very different body shapes, don't have flat tummies or obvious abdominal muscles but the underlying tone is there. I find a curved tummy very feminine and lovely to see. Chani

12-13-2007, 11:59 PM	#26 (permalink)
Yshka Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,251	Dear Chani, thank you! That is exactly what I was trying to say, though I should mention that even when I had a lot more padding (I lost quite a bit of weight since the moment I started dancing because of healthier eating habits) the toned muscles underneath and the changing bodyshape was clearly visible. I think toned up curvyness looks amazingly beautiful!

12-15-2007, 06:51 PM	#28 (permalink)
nightdancer Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Below the Mason-Dixon Posts: 237	On the subject of lovely tummies- I was laying in bed, talking to my 8 year old this morning. I was wearing a tank top and a pair of ol' whatsisname's boxers, so a good 6 inches of my tummy was showing. The little one poked at my tummy, so I did a belly roll under her finger. She giggled. Then she asked me about my stretch marks, that are now silvered out. I told her that it happens when the skin stretched from pregnancy. She exclaimed "Mum, they are just like tiger stripes! They are beautiful!" So ladies, we do not have stretch marks, we have tiger stripes. And they, like a tiger's stripes, are beautiful. Ask the 8 year old. Just thought I'd share.

12-15-2007, 10:40 PM	#30 (permalink)
Ariella Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: someplace far too cold Posts: 206	A woman without belly is like a sky without stars. - Arab idiom Maybe this is why my egyptian friends keep asking me how I can be a belly dancer with no belly. I have the same body type as Chani - the only curves I ever get are from working out. In other news, Chryssanthi's sword dance is super cool.