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What is Zumba?
Zumba is the latest fitness craze that is sweeping not only England, but the world.
How did it come about?
Beto Perez, the creator of Zumba is originally from Columbia…
He was an aerobics instructor and one day got to his class and realised that he had forgotten all his music. Not wanting to let the class down, he went to his car and got out a cassette tape with recorded Latin music from the radio on it…
He improvised to the Latin rhythms incorporating his knowledge of the dance styles and the fitness elements from his aerobic class…they loved it!
He took many trips from Columbia to Miami, trying to get “Zumba” noticed at different gyms. His lack of English made this pretty tricky…however ,eventually one gym wanted to see what he was talking about. Within 20 minutes he had 30 people wanting to sign up for the class.
What do you do?
Zumba is all about having fun but at the same time working out. The rhythms that you will find yourself shaking away to are: cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, belly dancing, bhangra, hip hop music, axé music and tango. The party atmosphere will help you will forget your there to lose weight and tone up because the up tempo music and dance style steps are enjoyable, different and high energy.
Don’t panic, you don't need to be a great dancer to enjoy the benefits of Zumba. You will soon pick up the steps and so long as you are moving your feet and smiling you are having a good time and still burning calories! All you need to do is come along, follow the lead of your instructor and have a great time as you jump, slide and shake along to the music. Zumba can burn anything from 500 to 1000 calories per hour, depending on your body type and the intensity with which you perform the dance steps. The routines will be repeated weekly, with new ones added frequently, just to keep you on your toes.
You will see the difference to your cardiovascular fitness, your body shape and tone of your muscles. Zumba uses the interval training workout method by combining the different rhythms of maybe a fast merunge and then slower bhangra style. This creates an efficient yet fun aerobic workout. The areas you will find that are worked the most are your legs, abs, glutes and arms.
According to the Zumba website, "Zumba combines high energy and motivating music with unique moves and combinations that allow the Zumba participants to dance away their worries. It is based on the principle that a workout should be 'FUN AND EASY TO DO' in order for Zumba participants to stick to the Zumba fitness program to achieve long-term health benefits. Zumba is not only great for the body, but it is also great for the mind. It is a 'feel happy' workout."
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