Hate To Exercise? Try Zumba!

Have you tried every form of exercise out there, from aerobics to biking to the elliptical? Do you get bored, restless or frustrated when you try to stick to one exercise regimen? In addition to lack of time, boredom is the number one reason people break their exercise routines. Luckily, there's a relatively new form of exercise that solves this problem by making your workout fast-paced, upbeat, and most importantly, fun!

Zumba (pronounced zoom-buh) is a dance fitness class set to Latin and world music beats. It is choreographed with salsa and other Latin dance moves so that people with all levels of dance experience can adapt to the routines. Zumba uses high and low impact dance steps that make up the hour-long workout. But don't worry - the steps are fairly simple and easy to learn quickly.

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What makes Zumba so great? Here are 7 reasons to sign up for a class today:

1. It's friendly to everyone. Zumba is great for all ages and fitness levels, whether you're a track star or a first-time exerciser. So if it's been a while since you've exercised, and you feel slightly shy about how out-of-shape you are, Zumba is the perfect way to get back into the game. Many people go into Zumba with zero previous dance experience.

2. It makes you feel good. Zumba relieves stress on multiple levels. Your body will produce serotonin and dopamine by performing the energetic moves, which will lower stress levels and leave you with a "natural high" feeling. It's a great way to check your inhibitions at the door and can be a good distraction from your everyday worries. You may feel like you're losing yourself - in a good way - to the dance moves.

3. It's a total body workout. Zumba provides not only a complete body toning routine, but also serves as an aerobic workout that will burn as many as 600 calories per hour. Unlike other forms of exercise - like the treadmill, which mostly works the lower body - Zumba will work your whole being, from head to toe.

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4. It burns fat. Zumba gets your heart rate up, which speeds up your metabolism. Having a faster metabolism will help you burn more calories even when you're not exercising. The intervals of intensity during Zumba classes are loaded with fat-burning benefits, maximizing your energy expenditure with the variety of music beats and movements.

5. It won't bore you. Zumba's Latin-inspired movements are a nice exception to traditional workout routines, and every class is jam-packed with unique songs. With each change of song, the temp alternates between low, moderate and high intensity. Additionally, Zumba incorporates footwork and body movements from salsa, flamenco, hip-hop and other dances, so you'll always be kept on your toes.

6. It will improve your coordination. If you've always felt that you have two left feet, you'll come to notice that as you gain more dance experience, you will become more physically attuned your surroundings. You'll pick up choreography faster, keep up with steps better, and you'll intuitively start knowing what move comes next.

7. It will make you happy. Zumba improves your mental clarity, and it will also make you grin like an idiot. In short, Zumba is fun. It is very common for people to continue going to Zumba because they want to, rather than because they're forcing themselves to exercise. The upbeat rhythms have the uncanny ability to bring people out of particularly dour moods. You could arrive at Zumba feeling stressed and upset, and leave feeling clear-headed and peaceful.

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