What I'm Loving Now...

What I’m loving now is…
Zumba! Contrary to what you might think, it’s a FUN workout that really burns calories.
Now I’ve been taking fitness classes for longer than I care to remember. Always looking for the perfect workout, the more intense the better, I’ve been pounding my feet, jumping too high and killing my knees!
I read about Zumba and saw a demo on TV and just had to find a class. Zumba was created by Columbian dancer and choreographer, Alberto “Beto” Perez. He forgot his regular class tapes one day and used some of his salsa and merengue music instead. The class loved it and begged for more. Using the music in its original form made the class seem more like a party or a night out at a club. Perez decided to call the class Zumba, after the Colombian slang word meaning to buzz like a bee or move fast.
Since then, the craze has spread to fitness clubs all over the country, including here in St. Louis. What I love about the classes is that everyone has fun and no one, not even the instructors, judge your dancing ability (or inability for that matter); they just enjoy.
Most local clubs offer some variation of Zumba. In the classes I’ve attended, we leave our egos at the door and do our best to follow along. Some days I think I’m on “Dancing with the Stars” (although my daughter, who takes the classes with me, tells another story) and other days I’m lucky if I can turn without falling. But the immediate camaraderie that comes with this workout makes it easy to just enjoy the music and keep moving. It doesn’t seem like I’m working hard in class, but my heart rate monitor shows that I burn as many, if not more calories than I do in a spinning or kickboxing class. I’m not rating the effectiveness of one class over another, but I am saying that if you are having fun, you’re going to work harder.
If you take a class, bring a friend with you (or if you are lucky enough, your daughter! Maybe other family members; they even have Zumba for kids in some cities). It’s a great bonding experience, and when you miss a step or two or three, you can giggle together.
To find a class near you log on to www.zumba.com/us/ , click on “Find a Class’ and type in your Zip Code.
You’ll have a blast!