Dancing With the Stars is back on TV this week and watching it always makes me want to get up and move; especially after seeing how the stars' bodies are transformed from all that dancing. If you're inspired by DWTS, then you may want to check out Zumba.
Zumba has been a buzzword of the aerobics world for a little while now, but I've recently started hearing more and more women talking it up. Basically, Zumba is a group fitness class that is part dance, part aerobics. The routines feature aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body; all set to upbeat Latin music. No previous dance skills are required and you can ditch the high heels for a pair of good cross training shoes — you want to make sure your feet and ankles are supported. Zumba is a great way to trick yourself into working out, since many people say that they are having so much fun they forget it's even exercise. Now that's my kind of workout. Locate a Zumba class near you and try it out.
Have you already discovered Zumba? Let us know what you think below.
Lanvin
Benefit
Laura Scott
I LOVE Zumba. I started taking classes when my old gym introduced the program to their facilities. It's a great workout, but doesn't feel like exercise. According to my HRM, I was burning 400-600 calories per 1 hour session depending on how much I put into it. I was sad when I moved because there aren't any classes near me. My former instructor encouraged me to get certified and start my own classes. The jury's still out on that one. lol
1I tried a similar class at my gym called Latin Mix...it sucked. It felt like I didn't get my heartrate up enough to get a cardiovascular workout, and the only sweat was because it was hot in the room. I would like to try Zumba, but I cannot find a place near me that teaches it.
2Thank you Fit for putting this up!!
3Zumba is by far my favorite, favorite way to workout. I love it so much that I'm getting certified as an instructor this winter. Depending on your teacher, you can learn up to eight different latin dances, and if your teacher is creative, there's bellydance, flamenco, and tango in there too. This workout is AMAZING. I was in the gym for literally six months doing ab exercises- I started doing Zumba and within a month my abs were FINALLY defined. I can't extol its praises enough. It's such a fun class! I recommend anyone try it out!
Definitely not for me. It just feels like they made dancing for robots. I just stick to dancing now, I find it way more fun.
4I'd love to take a class like this, but it seems like an unnecessary expense when I have free access to gyms on base. =(
5fox - do your gyms on base offer any group fitness? ours do but they are really crappy so end up paying for Golds every month
6Is Zumba hard to follow for those of us with very little coordination?
7I love Zumba! It depends *a lot* on the instructor though. I've tried different instructors and I didn't enjoy them at all...so if you had a bad Zumba experience you might try going somewhere else before giving up.
8I've seen a couple martial arts and yoga groups, but no Zumba. Admittedly, I haven't really been going out of my way to find out what classes they offer. I definitely should, though!
9& I second the bad coordination concern. I've been known to fudge up lunges because they have too many steps.... yeah, I'm bad.
OMG this class is the BEST! If you work hard, you will be pouring down sweat in the first 5 minutes.
10I love Zumba. I've recommended it to some friends and they love it too. My YMCA has it, and I've seen Community Education programs offer it.
11i love zumba!!! it's so fun! i have the 1st set of dvds. i wanna get the 2nd one.
12I love Zumba. I've been doing it for years. They offer it all over the place in Miami. I used to go 3 times a week but I havent really been going for a month or so (I've been lazy and the instructor I like is pregnant and too far along to continue), but I went back yesterday. I forgot how much fun it was. It's my absolute fav workout/aerobics class.
13Zumba is awesome. You dance your butt off
I highly recommend it to everyone who
loves latin music.
14hausfrau--I was going to say the same thing...I'm so uncoordinated! I'd probably fall on my face or be constantly out of step with the whole class.
15I agree with Red Sharpie. There is a lot of "bad" Zumba out there. I've been taking it since January, and luckily, I have an instructor who learned from Beto (founder of Zumba) himself! She is amazing and has a body to die for! If you are worried about looking like a fool, don't be. It is really easy to follow and learn. My instructor said it will take about 5 times before you can get your hips to move the way they need to, and she was right! It's an awesome core workout.
16I want to try it now...but I don't have money for gym
17I did the class on Saturday for the first time. It was fun!
18I know 24 Hour Fitness offers Zumba classes and they are so much fun! As with any gym class, there are some instructors I prefer over others, but all in all, it is a wonderful exercise!
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