I DESPISE exercising. Cool, huh? :D I can't stick to a normal exercise program. I hate doing calysthenics and free weights and using the exercise machines. I also dislike cardio-aerobic classes at gyms.
On the other hand, I do Pilates (2x week) and take ballet classes (3x week). My cardio is actually walking to and from school: I'll walk 5 miles every day, on average.
I'm not trying to lose weight or tone up. I just want to know if you girls think those ballet classes are a good replacement to the recommended strenght workouts.
I'm concerned about my health and I know I should be working out and trying to enjoy it, but I just can't and I love dancing. So what do you think?
Thanks!;)

I'm no expert, but I'd say that ballet classes will do wonders for your strength! I mean, come on ... have you ever taken a good look at pro ballet dancers? They have the bodies of gods, I tell you -- every muscle lean and defined!

I'm like you with workouts -- I hate traditional exercise, but love to dance, so most of my gym workouts are centered around dance and music (hip hop, cardio funk, boxing ... which is kind of like a dance ;) ).

As long as you're active, you're doing a good thing for yourself :)!

Ballet is great exercise...but nothing can really take the place of weight training IMO. Even ballet dancers have to take strength training classes in addition to their dance classes. Have you tried to find a fun strength training routine? I've tried different ones from self.com and I'm currently doing one from Fitness magazine-all you need are dumbbells and not every exercise even requires them. I've gotten WAY better results combining cardio and strength training together-muscles and more tone.

I think weight training will give you quicker results *but* dance is an amazing workout - Ive never been so toned as when I was dancing! Pilates also works wonders.

Thanks for the answers.
You are right. Weights are the most effective for building muscle. But I don't have much time so it's either ballet or weight training for me. And I definitely choose ballet. I know I won't be as fit but still, since I enjoy it so much I know I'm looking forward to it and I won't ever skip a class.
But thanks again for your input. I'm definitely thinking about buying a few weights and doing some exercise at home whenever I have the time. Gyms are intimidating:o

Lucia-I'm with you about gyms being intimidating! I bought a set of 5 lb weights and do all my weight training at home. It's nice because I'll try to do weights when there's a TV show I like on, and the time flies. Seriously, 20-30 minutes twice a week at night has changed my body a lot.

Bellydance! The strengthening routine in Sadie's DVD is awesome:
http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Drum-Technique-Choreography-Sadie/dp/B000ERHG10/ref=sr_1_1/102-3042542-2128110?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1191253063&sr=1-1

And watch how long Ansuya here stays in a crouched position:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOFxmY36CtY
You can't do that without incredible leg strength.

This along with running/hiking, racquetball, stair running and biking keeps my legs in shape, and I do lots of pushups for upper body.

I love doing Pilates, Yoga-Pilates and ab exercises in addition to my weight bench and all of my machines (I own a treadmill, stationary bike and elliptical). I use and love the Crunch Gym series of dvds.

Marisa, I wish my house was as well-equipped as yours! I would never have to go to a gym ever.

Marisa, I wish my house was as well-equipped as yours! I would never have to go to a gym ever.

It is nice to have them all at home so I never have to worry about going to a gym. My husband and I split the bill on all of them and we both use them, so they were a worthwhile investment.

yea, for workout music, you basically need hard-hitting euro-dance music.... nothing else does the job really. Search around on itunes for "euro club hits" or check this link:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/advancedSearchResults?albumTerm=Euro+Club+Hits+Vol +

My youngest sister did ballet for years and never did any other type of strength training and was incredibly strong and weirdly flexible.:D Try the Lotte Berk Method dvd's. She was a Russian ballerina I think. You might enjoy that.:cool: HTHS!

Sadly, my husband and I have to toss all of our exercise machines because they were badly damaged in the fire (water damage). However, since joining Bally's we are enjoying going to the gym so much more. Plus we save on electricity because we don't have to plug all of the machines in. We'll just keep our gym membership from now on. We did get all of our dvds back from inside the house, so now I have my Pilates and Yoga-Pilates dvds that I can do at home on the nights my husband works his second job.

Ive tried heaps of weight training alternatives and none of them do what i want from them. Recently starting doing injections of hcg and im watching my fat just get shed right off, me and my friend have started a weight loss blog (http://www.drugdelivery.ca/blog/hcg/15/) if you want to check it out.