A few weeks ago I decided to take up bellydancing lessons. My best friend started doing them a while back and somehow managed to get me to come along with her. She also does pole dancing, but that's too much effort for me! LOL! And before anyone says anything pole dancing is actually a form of fitness now and not necessarily sexy or tarty and anyone can do it! All shapes and sizes. It's just not for me. I'm too accident prone and will probably end up landing on my head and knocking myself out! 
Actually bellydancing is great, but it's much harder than it looks. You have to isolate parts of your body while you move others and you have to really concentrate on moving certain stomach muscles, you wouldn't normally use. Everyone has their own reasons for doing these things. Mine is to improve my self confidence and to help me feel a bit more feminine. I'm such a tom boy usually and was never a girly girl, so sometimes I like to make a concious effort to change that. It seems to be working. Already i've noticed an improvement in my posture and my bum & tum muscles are more toned. I'm even wearing skirts more without caring what everyone thinks, whereas you'd usually see me in a pair of jeans whatever the weather.
The great thing about bellydancing is that it is for women of all backgrounds, shapes and ages. My teacher said she taught an 80 year old woman once. I'm hoping to get good enough to take part in a show in October. There's two other ladies, one in her 40s and the other in her 30s plus another girl who's probably a couple of years younger than me and my friend in our class. So quite a mix of girls. I think everyone should try it!
