Step Forward!
July 13, 2011
Sometimes, the answer is right under your butt.
Why can’t I belly dance like I used to be able to?
Because I can’t bear as much weight with my hips as I used to be able to. It’s not a range of motion issue or a muscle issue, it’s a weight-bearing issue.
So… what’s the solution?
STOP BEARING WEIGHT WHILE BELLY DANCING!
And how does one do that?
By belly dancing while seated!
I’m happy to say that it works. Yeah, I look silly and I’m sure the bamboo flooring under my office chair is going to take a beating, but dancing along with my favorite belly dance videos on YouTube is so. much. fun. And I don’t have to worry about hurting myself, because I’m not bearing any weight. AND it’s definitely working the same hip muscles I used when belly dancing standing up–they’re tired after only 10 minutes!–so I should be able to gain some of that muscle strength back.
Best of all?
I should be able to do this right after surgery. As soon as I can sit, I can start working on belly dancing again.
But now, off to my pre-op PT evaluation…
