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Tango is one of the most fascinating dances seen on the ballroom dance floor. Fluctuating between flowing steps and sharp, sassy turns, it mesmerizes spectators and captivates them with its distinctive, rhythmical beat. It has been said that the man who can lead a woman in tango can lead in any dance.

I have always found it interesting that this beautiful dance was originally found in the brothels of South America. During the 1880s, Buenos Aires served as a busy port with immigrants from Europe, Africa and other places around the world pouring into the city. The combination of cultures mixed and intermingled to eventually create a completely new type of music which ultimately became known as the tango.

The music of the tango comes from the unending rhythms of African slaves called 'candombe', who would beat on their drums which were known as tan-go. This meshed with music of the flatlands of South America known as the milonga which was a combination of Indian rhythms and music of early Spanish colonists.

The first tango songs had no lyrics and the movements, usually improvised, were generally considered quite obscene, as the dance itself depicted the relationship between a prostitute and her pimp. Early tangos were hot and lusty, and frequently accompanied by an accordian-like instrument from Germany called a 'bandeon'. This has remained a recognizable element of many tango songs today.

1. Just do it! Too many would-be dancers have convinced themselves, or let others tell them, that they 'just can't dance', so they never even attempt to learn. If you can walk, you can learn to dance. Ballroom dancing is composed of simple steps; forward, back, to the side, and in place. It's the combining of these steps in different ways that creates the pattern of a dance. The steps are learned one at a time, just like when you were two and learning to walk! Don't let anyone discourage you, you CAN learn to dance!

2. Choose a studio carefully. All dance studios are not the same. It has been my experience that the best value for the money is with a locally owned, independent studio, rather than one of the nationwide chains. This is not always the case, but I've found it to be true more times than not. I would also strongly suggest that you find a studio that caters specifically to ballroom dancing, not one whose primary interest is ballet, tap or jazz, with a couple of ballroom classes added as an afterthought.

Before you waste hours of valuable time doing crunches, or spend hundreds of hard-earned dollars on gimmicky ab machines, there is one thing you MUST do first to successfully get rid of stomach fat.

This crucial first step will determine your success or failure in getting rid of stomach fat. The very first thing you must do is discover the cause of your stomach fat. You may think that sounds ridiculous. You may believe that the only cause of stomach fat is from eating too much and moving too little. While that may be true for a large majority of folks, there are thousands of people striving everyday to get rid of stomach fat who will never succeed, simply because, even though they're trying hard, the odds are stacked against them and in many cases they don't even know it.

If You Know You Overeat

If you're one of the multitudes who overeat, and you can be honest enough with yourself to admit that you simply eat too much of the wrong foods too often, the solution for you to get rid of stomach fat is fairly simple. Note that I said simple, not easy. Losing weight is never really easy, but the formula is relatively simple. Add more of the whole, nutritious foods you KNOW you should be eating. Back off the processed foods and stay away from drive-thrus. Cut out, or at least drastically cut down on soft drinks and other sugar-laden food and drink. That includes alcohol, which the body processes as sugar, ultimately forming the well-known 'beer belly'. Couple your healthy eating with a 30 minute walk, 3 times a week, and include some resistance training with weights or bands and the pounds will literally seem to melt off, not just the stomach fat, but all over your body.

As a 10 year old child, I watched helplessly one hot August day as my beloved boxer, Duke, died in my arms. Four decades later, I still have that memory painfully etched in my mind. We didn't learn until after the fact that Duke had died of a heat stroke. Even more painful was the realization that, had we known what to look for, we could have taken measures to possibly prevent his death. In honor of his memory, I want to share vital information that may keep your dog from suffering Duke's fate.

What is heat stroke?
Too much time exposed to the dangerous combination of increased temperature and humidity can lead to a heat stroke. A mammal's body (and that includes humans, too) can only tolerate temperatures up to about 107 degrees before cells start dying. The higher the temperature, the faster this occurs. The longer the body remains at an elevated temperature, the less chance there is for recovery. Heat stroke can occur very quickly, given the right set of circumstances, and if too much time has elapsed, even your best efforts may not be enough to keep your dog alive.

Is my dog at risk for heat stroke?
Any dog can fall victim to heat stroke, but hot weather is especially hard on puppies and older dogs, (they have a harder time regulating their body temperature), short-nosed breeds, (like pugs, pekes, boxers and bulldogs), overweight dogs, those with heart or lung problems, and dogs recently moved from a cooler climate. These risk factors increase if your dog doesn't have enough water, if he's in an enclosed space or is exposed too long to direct sunlight.