Zumba Time!

Author: Shannon Miller

Quite a serendipitous moment it was when the very popular exercise, known as Zumba, was born!  According to the official Zumba website, Zumba sort of just happened one morning when Alberto “Beto” Perez rushed off to teach an aerobics class and forgot his traditional aerobics music.  When he got to class and realized his mistake, he resorted to playing the tapes that he found in his backpack, which had salsa and meringue tunes on them!  Before he knew it, he had created a brand new type of dance fitness that focused on letting the music move the participants – as opposed to counting repetitions over the music.

Check out the 6 variations of Zumba:

Zumba:  exotic rhythms that flow to energetic and international beats, such as salsa, meringue, cumbia, reggaeton; easy to follow moves; party-type atmosphere

Zumba Gold:  targets the baby boomer generation; same as traditional Zumba, except the moves and pace are altered to better suit active older participants

Zumba Toning: lightweight maraca-like toning sticks are used to improve rhythm and tone target areas like arms, abs, glutes, and thighs

Aqua Zumba:  blends together traditional Zumba principles with traditional aqua fitness practices to create a solid cardio and toning workout

Zumbatomic:  choreographed, kid-friendly routines with music that keeps kids on their toes; designed for kids ages 4-12

Zumba in the Circuit:  a combination of

a.) the strength-building exercise benefits of circuit training,
b.) zesty Zumba moves all in 30 minutes (note: circuit training refers to a series of strength exercises at timed intervals) 

TIP:  If you haven’t already done so, give Zumba a shot this week with at home DVD’s or a class at your local gym!    

For more information about this dynamic and creative workout, visit zumba.com.