If you’re ready to find the perfect dance style to fit your personal fitness goals, here’s a breakdown of fun styles you can try.

As a personal trainer with a passion for teaching group fitness classes, I can honestly say that dancing is a great type of exercise to do regardless of your current fitness level. Dancing is a fantastic form of cardiovascular exercise that can help you to improve your overall fitness level, burn calories and relieve stress. I believe that the added bonus of making dance one of your go to fitness fixes is that the coordination factor of mastering movement patterns is great for improving your brain power.

I don’t teach full dance classes myself, but I always try to add an element of dance to my athletic style classes. It tends to make people feel energized, make them smile and for many male athletes, it pushes them outside of their usual comfort zone and adds an element of mental conditioning into their routine.

I make an effort to attend regular dance classes both in my own community and as I travel around the world. I do it because I just love to dance and have fun while getting fit. I’m convinced that if you’re willing to give it a try, you too will have fun and you won’t have trouble finding an incredible array of accomplished instructors and dance styles available in your local community.

Improve Your Body Confidence

If improving your confidence and reconnecting with your inner diva is a priority for you, I suggest trying a jazz dance class. You will learn a variety of jazz steps that are full of energy and you will be encouraged to make each step your own. In a jazz class, dancers are encouraged to add their own personality to make each step unique and fun. Jazz steps include basic turns, some ballet moves and leaps and jumps that add a power element to each class. One of my favorite moves is the jazz walk. It can be performed in many different styles and helps to improve your posture and body confidence. Learning jazz dance technique takes a lot of practice, but it is a fun and energy burning challenge.

Torch Calories

If your priority is to get the maximum calorie burn, finding a class with simple choreography is the key because you don’t want to have to figure out complicated moves. A freestyle high-energy class with a Latin feel is a great option.

Stability, Balance and Strength

If muscular stability, balance and strength are your focus, a traditional ballet class is also a great choice. Many athletes, especially football players, are encouraged to take ballet to improve their flexibility and muscular control. The basic positions and techniques of ballet were developed long ago and although choreographers have revised the classical techniques, the basic positions have remained the same.

Core and Mental Challenge

If you want to sculpt your core and get your brain firing on all cylinders, then give hip-hop dancing a try. The complex choreography combined with many moves that involve your abdominal muscles will challenge you both physically and mentally.

There are so many styles of dance from which you can choose, or you can simply put on some music at home and get grooving to your own style. Many fitness instructors are getting quite creative in order to stay relevant in the fitness and dance space, coming up with all sorts of combinations to ensure you get your favorite moves into a feel good dance style class. I’ve seen it all, structured workouts combined with dance, booty dance, pole dance and more, so there is no reason that you can’t create your own unique style that works for you.

If you are moving and having fun, the style of dance you choose doesn’t really matter. Yes, some dance styles burn more calories than others, but as a trainer I believe that if you do what you enjoy, you will be consistent and less likely to skip your fitness routine. It’s dedication and consistency with a healthy lifestyle that will keep you fit long-term so try a few new classes and have fun. If you’re lucky you will get addicted to moving and grooving.

Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Sr. Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.

Don’t let food poisoning spoil your summertime fun! Here are some tips for keeping foods safe during warm weather.

Nothing says summer quite like outdoor picnics, potlucks and barbecues. But nothing spoils a picnic more quickly than unwelcome guests – and I’m not talking about party crashers. The other “unwelcome guests” come in the form of food-borne bacteria that can multiply quickly at hot summertime temperatures, and make your picnic foods risky to eat.

The bacteria in foods that can make you sick grow quickly at room temperature – and even faster when the thermometer climbs to 90 degrees F (32 C) or so. Keeping foods cold discourages the bacteria from growing – and cooking foods destroys them – so the most basic rule is this: keep hot foods hot, and keep cold foods cold.

If you’re going to carry raw meat with you so you can grill it at the park or your campsite, pack your cooler carefully. Season or marinate the meat and put it in a tightly sealed plastic container or zippered plastic food storage bag, then keep it separated from any foods that are ready-to-eat in your cooler. You don’t want any of those raw meat juices dripping onto your fruits, veggies and side dishes. And, pack your cooler with plenty of ice or ice packs, so that everything stays nice and cold.

When it’s time to serve foods from the grill, check thick foods – like bone-in chicken pieces – to make sure they’re cooked all the way through before serving. Sometimes they cook quickly on the outside, but they’re still raw or undercooked in the middle. If you have a few hours before it’s time to grill, you can also partially cook chicken pieces in the microwave, then drop them in a zippered plastic bag with the marinade, and refrigerate. Since the chicken is partially cooked, it takes less time to finish it on the grill, it tends to cook more evenly, and it’s less likely to be dry.

Once your fish, meat or poultry comes off the grill, it might be tempting to dunk it back in the marinade – but don’t. Since the marinade was in contact with raw or undercooked meat, it could harbor some harmful bacteria that could cause illness.

When it comes to leftovers, an easy way to remember food storage guidelines is simple: two hours, two inches, four days – the numbers make up the “2-2-4 rule”.

Two hours is how long foods can safely stay at room temperature after you’ve taken them out of the oven or off the grill – or, in the case of cold foods, how long they can safely stay out of the refrigerator or cooler. But there’s an exception to this rule, too – the limit drops to just an hour if the outdoor temperature is 90 degrees F (32C) or higher. Once the time limit is reached, the food should be refrigerated or frozen. So, if you’re away from home, be sure to pack up your food and place it back in the cooler with your ice packs to keep them at a safe temperature.

The two inch rule means that you should store leftover foods in shallow containers – no more than two inches thick – so they can cool evenly and quickly. If containers are too deep, it takes too long for the food in the middle to cool down.

The last rule says that you should use your refrigerated leftovers within four days – otherwise, you should toss them out. But picnic leftovers are pretty tasty – so chances are, they’ll be long gone before then.

Susan Bowerman is Director of Nutrition Training at Herbalife. Susan is a Registered Dietitian and a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics.

Need to drink more water?  Try these tips for boosting your water intake every day.

“I should drink more water.” It’s something I hear from clients all the time. They know their water intake isn’t up to par – but they just can’t figure out how to drink more water than they usually do. When I ask people why they don’t drink enough water, I usually hear one of two things – many tell me that they just haven’t established a regular water-drinking habit, and lots of people I talk to say that they just “don’t like water.” I probably don’t need to remind you why drinking enough water is so important… but I’m going to anyway, because it might help “drive you to drink.”

Why it’s Important to Drink Enough Water

Your body is more water than it is anything else – about 60-70% of your body weight is water.   And the fluid in your body is involved in an amazing number of important tasks.  You need to drink enough water so that your body can properly digest your food and deliver nutrients to your cells – and to get rid of substances that your body doesn’t want. Without enough water, controlling body temperature would be a challenge, your joints would lack lubrication and your muscles would tire more quickly, too.  The bottom line is this:  every cell, tissue and organ needs water in order to function properly.

7 Tips to Help you Drink More Water

If you find it hard to drink enough water every day, here are some tips that might help you.

• See it. It can be really helpful if you can actually see the amount of water you plan to drink and to track your progress over the course of the day.  Put the amount of water you plan to have in a pitcher on your kitchen counter or keep it at your desk.  It will serve as a reminder to drink more, and you’ll be motivated to sip on it as the day goes by – and meet your goal of finishing it.
• Cool it. Cold water often seems more refreshing than room-temperature water.  Try stashing a bottle of water in your freezer, and carry it with you during the day.  It will stay cold for several hours, and you might be encouraged to drink more.
• Wake up to it. “Morning mouth” is a reminder that most of us are naturally a bit dehydrated in the morning. So, keep a glass of water by your bed, and drink it first thing – before your feet even hit the floor.
• Sip it. Try sipping through a straw.  Maybe it’s just more fun, maybe it’s that you take larger sips of water –  I don’t know why this works, but lots of people tell me that they drink more water when they use a straw.
• Flavor it. Make your own spa water.  Add a slice of fresh lemon or lime, some cucumber, a few berries, some fresh mint or a slice of fresh ginger to your water.  It makes it feel special and adds a hint of refreshing flavor.
• Eat it. Treat water like an appetizer and start your meals with a glass of water.  Not only will you work more water into your day, it might curb your appetite a bit, too.
• Track it. Just like keeping track of your calorie intake, keeping track of how much water you drink can help a lot, too. That’s why the pitcher-on-the-desk trick works so well – at any moment, you can see how much water you’ve had and how much you need to drink before the day is over. If you want to go high tech, there are apps for your phone that can send you drinking reminders, keep track of your progress and even give you a virtual pat on the back when you’ve met your goal.

Susan Bowerman is Director of Nutrition Training at Herbalife. Susan is a Registered Dietitian and a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

Meals not filling you up? Try these seven everyday foods that can help prevent overeating and keep you full.

It’s nice to feel full and satisfied at the end of a meal – especially if you can do it without overeating. But in order to do that, you’ll need to choose foods carefully so that you can fill up without busting your calorie budget. If you know what makes a food filling, you can incorporate more filling foods into your day – and reduce your risk of overeating.

What Makes Foods Filling

There are a few reasons why some foods are more filling than others. Foods that provide protein help to fill you up because protein takes longer to digest than either fats or carbohydrates – so protein gives foods some staying power.

A little healthy fat in a meal helps fill you up because fat slows the rate at which your stomach empties. Since food stays in your stomach a little longer, a little dab of fat may make a meal more satisfying.

High-fiber foods can also help fill you up – in a couple of ways. One type of fiber adds volume to foods without adding calories, and another type of fiber slows the rate at which your stomach empties, which helps keep you fuller for a longer time.

Foods that contain a lot of water or air can also help fill you up, because they add volume (without adding a single calorie!). Most of us determine our own personal fullness from a set volume of food – a volume that doesn’t really vary that much from meal to meal. So, if a food gets some of its volume from fiber or air or water – all of which are calorie-free – that low-calorie food takes up space in your stomach and contributes to fullness.

Seven Foods That Can Help Fill You Up

Eggs. Protein is more filling than fat or carbohydrate, and a single egg provides almost 7 grams of protein for less than 70 calories. If you choose to have the whites only, each egg white gives you about 3 grams of protein for only about 20 calories. And, eggs are super-versatile for both main dishes and as snacks.
Make it even more filling: Add vegetables – their water and fiber content will help fill you up. Add veggies to an omelet, or slice a hard-boiled egg onto some fresh tomato slices for a filling snack.

Oatmeal. Oatmeal is a rich source of soluble fiber, which swells up and thickens when it comes in contact with liquid. Soluble fiber makes food more filling and slows digestion time. A small portion of oatmeal makes a really filling snack. Make it even more filling: Combine your oatmeal with protein and/or a healthy fat: try cooking rolled oats in milk or soy milk, then stir in some protein powder once it’s done cooking. To add healthy fat, try stirring in a spoonful of almond butter.

Bean soup. Like oatmeal, beans are an excellent source of water-soluble fiber, but they have an added advantage in that they contain protein, too. A typical bowl of black bean soup could provide about 15 grams of healthy plant protein. Make it even more filling: Have a mixed vegetable salad with a drizzle of olive oil on the side. The fiber in the mixed salad and the healthy fat from the olive oil will complement the staying power of the protein and soluble fiber found in the soup.

Raspberry Protein Shake. A protein shake made with protein powder, milk or soy milk and raspberries will fill you up with a one-two punch of protein and fiber. Make it even more filling: Add ice cubes to your shake and blend for several minutes. Ice thickens up the shake, and the long blending time pumps lots of air into your shake, increasing the serving size.

Nonfat Greek-style Yogurt. Greek-style yogurt packs twice as much protein as traditional yogurt – a typical single-serve container has about 15 grams of protein and less than 100 calories. Skip the sweetened versions and add your own sweetener – you’ll likely add a lot less sugar than the manufacturer does. On its own, yogurt makes a great snack, but it’s also great added to soups and smoothies to boost protein while providing a creamy texture. Make it even more filling: Add fiber. Top your yogurt with high-fiber berries, or go savory and mix plain Greek-style yogurt with chopped veggies (try cucumber, carrot and red bell pepper), and top with a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Avocado. Good-for-you fats like those found in avocado slow digestion time, which helps give avocado its staying power. Make it even more filling: Combine with some protein. Mix mashed avocado with canned tuna and stuff the mixture into whole grain pita bread, spread on top of a few whole-grain crackers as a snack, or scoop onto mixed greens for lunch.

Grapefruit. Like most fruits, grapefruit has a good amount of water and fiber – both of which fill you up. But, since it’s lower in sugar than most fruits, it has fewer calories per bite. Make it even more filling: Combine with some healthy fat. Avocado-grapefruit salad is a classic combination – simply toss red grapefruit sections and avocado slices with a little vinaigrette made with olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Susan Bowerman is Director of Nutrition Training at Herbalife. Susan is a Registered Dietitian and a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics.