Everyone’s talking about zumba, the fabulous Latin dance that burns tons of calories, improves flexibility, tones your muscles, and also…is a heck of a lot of fun.
Zumba is a great way for people to lose weight. If you’re bored with yoga, then consider shimmying to your ideal weight. It’s worked for millions around the world, and it may just work for you—even if, at heart, you’re the type of person who’s always hated exercise. (Trust us, it doesn’t feel like exercise.) Read on to find out more about the zumba craze.
Zumba is not actually a new invention. It was invented in the 1990’s by Beto Perez, an aerobics instructor. The story goes that, just before starting one of his aerobics classes, he realized he had forgotten his fitness music tape at home. (Yes, they still used cassette tapes then!) So he used what he had: a compilation of traditional merengue and salsa music that he had played in his car while driving to work.
Perez improvised steps that would match the moves, combining merengue, salsa, mambo, flamenco and calypso. Everyone had fun, and Perez knew that he had stumbled on a golden idea. Especially since the exercise really did burn a lot of calories. The word zumba is a Colombian slang word that means ‘to move fast.’ The high-cardio rate, maintained throughout the routine, is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories.
So if zumba was invented two decades ago why is it getting so much attention now? (CNN reports peg it as the number one fitness trend.) Admittedly, other dancercise routines took off earlier, like hip hop abs, flamenco, even bellydancing. But all these required mastering complicated movements. Zumba, on the other hand, does not demand students to have the skills and grace of someone training for ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
You can learn Zumba at your own pace, and just have fun, even if you miss steps along the way. When you master the basics you can go on to more specific routines like zumba toning. There are even zumba classes specifically designed for kids and senior citizens, and some places even offer aqua zumba, which combines dancing with swimming. For those who don’t have time to join Zumba classes, there are Zumba exercise DVDs and even a Zumba inspired video game.
Zumba is a fun and exciting exercise that will have many people smiling and laughing as they exercise—and when you enjoy something, you’re more likely to keep doing it!
Photo from daily-newswire.com