LET THE RHYTHM OF ZUMBA LEAD YOU TO YOUR FITNESS GOALS
Remember Dancing Queen by ABBA? “You can dance! You can jive! Having the time of your life!” Well, you can do just that with one of the most popular exercises – Zumba. Coming into existence in the 1990s through choreographer Beto Perez in Colombo, Zumba is an aerobic exercise heavily inspired by Latin American songs and dances.
Basic Zumba movements are quite simple, and you don’t need to be an incredible dancer to pick up the steps. The fun of jiving to the music instantly puts you in a good mood! This dance regime not only decreases your stress level but also keeps your body toned. Zumba is a full-body workout and targets your glutes, back, legs, arms and core. It is also a great way to improve your flexibility.
Zumba can improve coordination and muscle memory. As we age, so does our metabolism, and as a result, it becomes more difficult to stay fit. Zumba is a quick and easy way to help you out with this. The dance sequences not only provide you with increased coordination, thereby preventing injuries due to age, but also assist you in your ability to burn through unnecessary fat. During the pandemic in 2020, frontline workers at a Kenyan mental institution were introduced to Zumba to help alleviate stress and keep active.
Just like any exercise, Zumba offers plenty of variations that can cater to the needs of various exercise outcomes. There are ten types of Zumba classes – Zumba Gold, a typical, lower-intensity version of Zumba classes; Zumba Step which incorporates Latin dance rhythms and focuses on the lower-body workouts; Zumba Toning, which is essentially cardio training to reduce unwanted fat but still gain muscles; Aqua Zumba, which is Zumba’s water-based variation and basically combines aqua fitness and dancing, with training typically taking place in a swimming pool; Zumba in the Circuit is another variation, and as the name suggests, it mixes dancing with circuit training, focusing on strength exercises; Zumba Kids, a variation solely for children with modified Zumba moves for little feet; Zumba Gold-Toning, aimed at seniors who wish to improve their posture, increase mobility and enhance coordination; Zumba Sentao, a chair workout focusing on body weight; Strong Nation, which combines synced music and high-intensity interval training; Zumbini which is a class for babies, toddlers and their caregivers.
UNLIKE WEIGHT TRAINING OR GYM WORKOUTS, ZUMBA REQUIRES NO EXTRA EQUIPMENT. JUST A GOOD PAIR OF SNEAKERS, A SUFFICIENT SPACE TO DANCE, AND YOUR ENTHUSIASM TO HAVE SOME FUN WHILE YOU SWAY TO GOOD MUSIC ARE ALL THAT YOU NEED
Unlike weight training or gym workouts, Zumba requires no extra equipment. Just a good pair of sneakers, a sufficient space to dance, and your enthusiasm to have some fun while you sway to good music are all that you need. The activity is also super affordable and can be done at home on your own. With thousands of YouTube video guides, it is possible to learn the steps and get grooving in no time! However, putting yourself out there for Zumba is a great way to boost your social life and make new friends as it has a close-knit community of dance enthusiasts.
AS WE AGE, SO DOES OUR METABOLISM, AND AS A RESULT, IT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT TO STAY FIT. ZUMBA IS A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO HELP YOU OUT WITH THIS
In Bangladesh, there are a few different ways to do a Zumba class. You can either go to a dance studio and learn the entire process with an instructor, or you can do pop-up Zumba classes where you pay for a certain number of classes to learn the dance. Either way, dancing has never been easier and more accessible than it is now and it is a great opportunity to introduce fun, happiness and health to our lives.