Just Dance!

LOCATION: Sweaty Betty, NYC
Tank & Leggings: c/o Sweaty Betty, Sneakers: c/o New Balance

Who doesn’t love a good dance sesh, right? Well, did I get my fill this past weekend sweating for a cause with the KP Dance Body class at the Sweaty Betty store in Soho! I joined the fitness-fun on Sweaty Saturday, along with New York City’s best health brands, experts and workout studios in NYC to bring awareness and raise money for Partnership For A Healthy America.  I signed up to take the dance cardio class for the first time not knowing what to expect. So I jumped in and went for it, and LOVED every minute of the heart pounding, upbeat, energetic sweat-sesh! I left feeling tough and toned from head to toe! If you’re in NYC, I highly recommend that you try a class. You’ll be hooked the second you swing your hips!

So, in case you get the urge to bust a move and give it a shot, I’ll leave you with some key cardio dance class tips (below) from Katia Pryce (pictured above in the neon yellow tank), the creator of KP Dance Body.

Tip 1: Leave the Perfectionist Syndrome at the door!
When first approaching a dance cardio class, don’t expect to get every move perfect on Day 1! You’ll only make yourself frustrated instead of fit, it takes awhile to learn the dance choreography – but the results are worth it! After about 3 classes you’ll find your rhythm and coordination will already improve.  This isn’t spin, or running on a treadmill – you have to work to get good at it!

Tip 2:  Keep those abs tight!
When you are jumping around during those killer dance moves, you DON’T want to kill your feet, ankles, and knees! By making sure you contract your abs to keep your entire core tight, you will reduce the stress on your lower body joints. Make sure you can’t hear your feet hitting the ground.  If you keep the energy lifted upward in your body by keeping your abs tight, you will not only define them more but keep your bod safe!

Tip 3: Pick a Part!
When learning the dance cardio dances – arms and legs and booties moving everywhere – it’s best to pick a body part and execute! Usually I tell people to start with only looking at the feet. Once you have your footing, you can start to add in the arm movements, once you have the arms, feel free to let yourself go and perform it!

Tip 4: Take an Imaginary Shot of Tequila!
99% of all my clients are NOT dancers! The number one reason I get from people avoiding class is because they have “no rhythm” or “aren’t dancers” or “I’ll be a laughing stock”…. NO EXCUSES! Literally, everyone else in class is trying so hard to get the moves that there is no time or desire to look at anyone to their right or left. In class, my clients have the eye of the tiger and, as they should be, are hyper focused on keeping themselves in the dance. Let loose and allow the moves to reshape your body in ways you never thought possible, it’s the only way!

Tip 5: Stick with It!
Dance cardio is an advanced workout, I won’t lie! It’s for my varsity players that are ready to move their bodies in different ways and amp up their results to the next level – defined, yet feminine. Trying new movements has been proven to ALWAYS produce result in the body, but not overnight.  There is a definite learning curve with dance cardio that I break down into three main levels:
1. Learning the dance
2. Absorbing the technique
3. Performing the movements

You can’t learn the dances overnight, but you will get better over time, just like anything else.  Stick with it and you’ll not only learn some new great dance moves, but reveal a more confident, more sexy, more appealing body shape!

Motivate, Sporties!
XOXO,
NYC