Thursday, June 14, 2012

the fitness class experiment: Zumba

For those of you just joining in, the fitness class experiment is designed to encourage me to step outside of my comfort zone and try new (and sometimes daunting) group fitness classes. 

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People love their Zumba. It seems everyone is doing it. And yet, Zumba still scares.me.to.death. Despite this (highly irrational) fear, I recently gave Zumba a go for the fitness class experiment.


Results. Zumba is an energetic, Latin-inspired cardio dance class designed to be easy-to-follow, fun, and effective. The folks at Zumba Fitness® have designed this class that has taken the group fitness world by storm and you can find additional information on their website.The basic theme is each latin-inspired song has accompanying choreographed dance moves that get your body moving and your heart pumping.


My impression? I spent the majority of the class grasping for rhythm and flailing my arms in a slightly embarrassing spectacle. I may or may not have spent some of the class facing the wrong side of the room. Despite my difficulties (which have nothing to do with Zumba, per se, but more to do with my lack of coordination) I had fun, broke a sweat, and....smiled. The more I attend these unfamiliar classes the more I realize that no one cares how you look - everyone is just there to have fun and burn calories - and how that is accomplished is no big deal.


Compared to the other group fitness that I have attended so far, I found Zumba fairly comparable to Hip Hop HUSTLE, although I did find its Latin-based moves easier to follow than the hip hop madness. I still stand by my opinion that these classes would be a lot more successful  after a drink or two. I mean, two drinks in and I can bump and grind with the best of them. Can someone please arrange that?

No special equipment or anything is needed. I'd say anyone could walk in this class, have fun, and burn calories. Winning.


In conclusion, Zumba is a cardio-based Latin-inspired dance fitness class that took me outside of my comfort zone and left me sweaty and smiling. If you are like I was and haven't tried this class yet, give it a go. Worst comes to worst - you'll burn a few hundred calories and learn a few new dance moves.

(images 1, 2, 3)

22 comments:

  1. Zumba is...um...quite the experience. I was dragged by two of my Latina ex-coworkers, and I stood there like a moron while they shook their hips and flounced around. You have to be pretty coordinated - and confident - to pull that off.

    Or drunk. That works too.

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    1. haha. you sound like just how i feel. drunk - now that i can do. :)

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  2. Oh, I love Zumba. I'm still trying to work on finding a class to teach - no luck so far. But I'm glad you tried it! As long as people check their egos at the door, I think it can be really fun (and effective!).

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    1. yeah i remember you getting certified and i was mighty jealous at what must be steller coordination. i agree - no egos allowed!

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  3. I...don't think I will ever Zumba. It may be fun and a great way to get in some cardio but I am seriously the WORST at dancing. Bar none. The very, very, very worst.

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    1. haha. i doubt you can be that much worse than me. seriously. :)

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  4. I'm so glad you went to Zumba!! I enjoy it for the cardio - as in, since I can't run that much anymore because of my knee injury, and because I HATE gym treadmill cardio, it's a great way for me to get in my cardio in a painless manner lol. I have no issue circuit training but my boredom threshold for cardio is low so this way Zumba keeps things different.

    I agree that maybe my past dance training helped (I wasn't a dancer or anything but did take classes for a while) and a lot of my classmates are former dancers. But there are also a ton of people who just move to their own beat to the songs and hey, they're there and they're working out so more power to them! I would be self-conscious, but they aren't and I have so much respect for 'em. And nothing's stopping you from slipping some vodka into your water bottle ;).

    Do you think you'll go again though?

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    1. i was certainly brave! i can totally see that any experience as a dancer would help with this one. honestly - i doubt i'll go back unless it is the only class offered and i'm dying for a workout...

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  5. I've always wanted to try zumba! It sounds so fun, and everyone i know loves it! (: definitely need to try it out verry soon!

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    1. can't hurt to just give it a try! that is my philosophy!

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  6. Glad you liked it! As I said, I found them to be hits or misses.

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    1. and i think a lot depends on the instructor, too. mine happens to be kick ass.

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  7. I personally don't like regular Zumba because it's too fast for me :D But Zumba toning is my favorite! There's a class at my gym every Tuesday evening, and I'm there every week. At first it was a little hard to follow, but once you get the moves down after two-three times it's so much more fun!

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    1. oh now zumba toning i didn't even know they had. i could totally get into that i think! and all these classes definitely get drastically easier the more you go and get a hang of the moves.

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  8. I really want to try Zumba,like,really really! It sounds so fun and I love dancing actually. Plus,I need something that lifts me up sometimes and distracts me from all the negative thoughts in my head,and concentrating on a coreography would possibly do the job. ;)
    Unfortunately,a gym membership is far beyong my budget,but my parents want to invest in an Xbox Kinect soon and I know there's a Zumba-game,too - yay! :)

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    1. if you love dancing you are bound to love this class. the xbox will get you close and i bet that would be a lot of fun! let me know how you get it when you get the game!

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  9. I've been saying I'm going to try Zumba for years!For some reason, group fitness classes still scare me...I (think) I prefer to push myself hard on my own, but how will I really know until I try taking a few classes? Zumba would probably be a good place to start because I love to dance. :) Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. so true. you just have to be brave and try. i completely get how scary it can be. if you love to dance you will certainly appreciate zumba. give it a try girl you have nothing to lose but some calories. :)

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  10. chris this comment made my day! thanks for the kind words and for following me! i will definitely stop by your blog and check it out. hope to hear again from you soon!

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  11. “…designed to encourage me to step outside of my comfort zone…” – I couldn’t agree more. Yes, Zumba brings great physical improvements, but as they say, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Through group training exercise like this, you’ll have fun, raise your morale, and come out of your shell to become more confident. There is just something about this kind of activity that takes away inhibitions. Keep it up! :D

    Celia Maciomhair

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  12. My sister and my wife tried Zumba a couple of weeks ago, and they’re still on that work out up until now. They said it’s like shaking away the pounds and having fun while losing weight. I can actually see the difference in my sister and wife’s appearance after weeks of Zumba. My wife is now more confident and she seems to be becoming stronger every day. I think I’ll try it too one of these days. =)

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  13. You should try it, Nicolas. Zumba is definitely a fun workout. The steps are easy to follow, and the lively music and laid-back atmosphere add up to that fun moment. Having said that, it is fun, but at the same time, you're guaranteed that you're having a full body workout.

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