What is Zumba Dance Workout?
If you've ever watch "Dancing with the Stars," you've seen the miraculous transformation of formerly pudgy or even fat stars into toned, slimmer fit ones. That's because dancing is one of the best forms of exercise.
Dancing to a faster beat, such as meringue or salsa, gives you a cardiovascular workout as well as tone your body muscles. Since you're swaying and swooping in many directions to the music, you're toning all the muscles and not just focusing on one small group. This adds balance to your workout.
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
Zumba is a type of fitness program that incorporates the art of dance and fitness exercises. You might be doing a salsa but add some squats and bicep curls to your routine. Instead of dreading the exercise, most participants find that it's almost a party type of atmosphere. That's because everyone loves music and dancing. (At least those in the class do!)
Why Call It Zumba?
Zumba dance workout utilizes exotic sounds and brings to mind Latin rhythms, which is mostly the type of music used in the classes. However, don't count it out if you love swing or calypso because almost all types of music that gets your booty shaking are part of the Zumba fitness class. The classes focus on music that gets you moving and makes you want to dance. That's what makes it fun!
The Creator
A fitness trainer from South America named Alberto Beto Perez was also a professional dancer. One day when he was about to teach his fitness class, he realized he'd forgotten his aerobic tapes. Instead of going ahead without music, he grabbed some tapes from his car. They were Latin music tapes. He told the class just to move with the music and they all loved this new style of dance workout. He called the workout "Rumbacize" but later changed to Zumba when he moved to the U.S. and marketed the videos and DVDs. He then started training instructors; now there are over 35,000 Zumba trainers.
What Are the Zumba Dance Workout Classes Like?
Of course, by now you picture them as fun, which they are! Each class lasts one hour. The first few minutes the instructor leads warm up. The warm up gives your muscles a chance to stretch and get ready to exercise. You'll then do a group of dance exercises to songs that include not only Latin music but also hip-hop and other fast beats. Since each song has different choreography, you'll learn it at the beginning of the song and then repeat throughout the song. You'll end the class with a cool down.
How You'll Feel After Zumba Fitness Class
You'll be tired but it will be the fun, attitude-improving type of tired. As you continue the classes, you'll notice that you won't be winded as rapidly or feel the exhaustion after a workout. You'll also notice you're probably losing weight, as long as you don't "step up" your eating.
Taking Zumba dance workout classes can be part of an exercise program to increase your stamina and firm your muscles while you have an outlet to meet people and enjoy an evening. While you'll need to adjust your diet to lose more weight and other types of exercise for more muscle development, it's a fun way to begin exercising again.
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