Do You Zumba?

If you are tired of the same old exercise routine at the gym, chances are that your body is, too.

Any fitness professional or personal trainer will tell you that every few months it’s important to change up your routine. That’s because the more you exercise a certain muscle group or do the same type of exercise, the more efficient your body becomes at performing it. And the more efficient your body becomes, the less of a challenge that exercise is. Your body responds by outputting less energy, which means fewer calories are burned.

If it’s time to try something new, it seems like Zumba® is taking gyms and fitness centers across the nation by storm.

Zumba is a Latin-inspired fitness dance program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez. Zumba involves dance and aerobic elements, and gets the class moving with hip-hop, samba, salsa belly dance and mambo moves. Some instructors also incorporate light strength training into the class.

But don’t let all the fancy moves intimidate you. Perhaps the best thing about this class is that it keeps you moving and “on your toes” for the duration of the class. You’ll be paying so much attention to following the moves and having fun, you won’t even notice the time pass by.

Zumba classes are offered at many gyms and dance studios, but if you would prefer to exercise at home, there are Zumba DVDs and video games to get you moving in your living room.

Have you tried a Zumba class? What did you think? 

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