What is Zumba?

The Latin dance-inspired fitness craze of Zumba attracts women to fitness facilities, recreation centers and dance studios. Zumba combines fitness and fun, using almost every muscle of the body as you shimmy, shake and stomp your way fit. Zumba uses music by the original artists and shuns the aerobics' class tradition of relying on a 32-beat count for every routine. Don't let the party-like atmosphere of Zumba fool you--if you put in some effort, you burn serious calories.

History

Alberto Perez, a former aerobics instructor from Colombia, founded the Zumba empire in 1999. Zumba began with a series of infomercials peddling the workout on DVDs and grew to include classes taught by instructors who attend Zumba training. As of 2008, Zumba instructors number more than 20,000 in 40 countries.


Features

Zumba classes usually run for one hour and cover a range of dance styles--mambo, cumbia, merengue, cha-cha and, sometimes, belly dancing and hip hop. Zumba training teaches instructors specific guidelines, but gives them flexibility to design classes in their own style. Although a wide-ranging population already enjoys basic Zumba classes, specific classes geared for seniors (Zumba Gold), children (Zumbatomic) and water-participants (AquaZumba) have been developed.

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Considerations

Your experience in Zumba depends on the energy of the teacher. If one class doesn't inspire you to move, try a different teacher--you might jive better with his method. Although the class seems more like a party rather than exercise, you'll need to wear proper athletic footwear to protect the knee and ankles during twists and turns and to cushion your joints.


Misconceptions

You do not need to be able to dance well to reap the benefits of Zumba. Instructors choreograph relatively simply routines that are fun, but manageable to most people. The point of Zumba is to have fun, not impress judges. Do not let the appearance of the class intimidate you. Even if people in the class perform high-intensity steps, your teacher will show low-impact versions so you can modify according to your ability.


Potential

The amount of calories you burn in a session depends on how hard you work and how much you weigh--but you can realistically burn 500 calories or more in one hour. Because the dance moves are fun, you forget you are working your abs and back by isolating the hips and twisting your waist. Instead of dreading the daily slog on the treadmill, you might find yourself looking forward to a workout that seems like a party with a bunch of friends. When you enjoy working out, you are likely to stick to a routine and reap the health benefits of regular exercise.

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By Andrea Cespedes

References

  • CNN: Zumba Zooms to the Top of the Exercise World

  • New York Times: Samba Lines at the Gym

  • Zumbacize.com: Benefits of Zumba


What is Zumba? courtesy of LIVESTRONG.COM