Click here to listen to an interview with Prevention Magazine’s Fitness Director, Michele Stanten.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 3, 2006/ FW/ --- The parties were superb and the company was great during the holiday season. And you know you had a great time when the bathroom scale said you gained a few pounds. What to do, what to do?

Take a cue from Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez and go dancing! You don’t have to compete in the ballroom dancing contest, a very popular ‘sport’ all over the world. You can do it in the privacy of your living room.

Prevention Magazine’s Fitness Director, Michele Stanten suggest Prevention’s new ‘Dance It Off’ DVD to start your weight loss regimen.

“In this new DVD, there are 4 fun 10-minute dance workouts–the hip-hop, jazz, and Latin routines will get your heart rate up and blast calories, while the ballet segment will firm your legs and butt to help you get the body you’ve always wanted. Plus, you’ll find more tips on smart ways to live and eat well,” says Stanten.

Available for $14.95 at www.preventionvideos.com, ‘Dance It Off’ makes fat burning fun.

And if the video actually makes you hanker for more dancing, why not take lessons from a local dance studio in your area.

Going to the gym to run a treadmill is boring. With dancing, you reconnect with people, and you have a partner. Physical fitness has always been an added bonus for dancing and now, the time has come that the ‘bonus’ takes center stage.

The Access Dance Network, www.accessdance.com, has a list of dance studios all over the country listed according to states.

And if you want to learn more about ballroom dancing as a sports competition, please visit The National Dance Council of America (NDCA) website at www.ndca.org

Recognized by the World Dance and Dance Sport Council, the NDCA provides information brochures and consumer brochures for the purpose of educating the American public about the benefits of professional dance instruction.

It also has a list of dance boot camps being offered around the country and competitions scheduled for the year.

Okay, you might not be able to compete yet in the championships this time around, but hey… it’s a fun way to lose weight.

And the best thing about it, you can wear those beautiful ball gowns when you are dancing!