If you want to lose weight and stay in shape, the best way to do it is none other than doing intense exercises, such as running, playing tenis, and swimming. Unfortunately, not everyone is built to do boring, repetitive things on a regular basis. For those of you who hate working out with a passion and find the usual exercise for weight loss to be tedious, zumba fitness dance is perfect for you! The playful and upbeat fitness programme is designed for people who’d like to have fun while they sweat it off. These are the six best reasons to join a zumba class:
- (Almost) anyone can do zumba
Don’t be fooled by zumba’s highly energetic routines! Whatever your age, body shape, or weight, zumba is designed to cater to all able-bodied people, even if you have no dance experience at all. You’ll dance to a reasonable pace (often based on a song) suggested by your trainer, and it’s up to you if you’d like to go at a faster or slower pace. It’s all about being in the moment and having fun.
- Zumba is practically a dance party
For fun-loving people, zumba is practically a dance party disguised as a fitness programme for weight loss! If you’d rather have fun while you work hard to shed those kilos, zumba incorporates a choreography that is easy to follow, which is a combination of martial arts, some aerobic exercise and dance elements; including soca, hip-hop, mambo, and salsa. Each class will never be the same with zumba’s different routines.
- Zumba is also a music fest
Love music? A typical zumba class doubles as a music fest too! Most class features a variety of upbeat, cultural music that keeps you going, such as hip-hop, African, Arabic, bhangra, Bollywood, cumbia, reggaeton, merengue, and salsa. You’d be surprised by how international the music selections are! No class will ever be mundane with the many different songs on full blast.
- Zumba is an instant calorie burner
A zumba class will instantly leave you dripping with sweat, your heart rate up, and hundreds or thousands of calories burnt! With continous movement and fast pace lunges and squats, you’ll burn an average 500 to 1000 calories within 60 minutes! As you progress in your programme, your class may be even faster than before, so keep up with the pace by hydrating yourself before class starts!
- Zumba boosts your brain power
Due to the nature of zumba, you’ll have no choice but to be 100% dedicated and focused on your trainer’s choreography. To keep up, you’d have to learn the sequences and pay close attention to your alignment, form and timing. Unlike bicycling, running or jogging in the park where your mind tend to wander as you get lost in your surrounding, zumba requires your full attention and energy to keep up and reach the end goal, making it less likely for you to slack off.
- Zumba gives you the chance to mingle
Single and ready to mingle? Or just prefer to make new friends? Zumba gives you the chance to socialise with like-minded people. It’s definitely more fun if you can shed your kilos away with other people who share similar goals. You can support each other as the class progress. This can also boost your motivation if you’re unable to share your weight loss goals with your loved ones. In a typical zumba class, you can expect some laughter, playfulness and silliness from other participants!
For beginners, the best zumba fitness dance programme can be found at many gyms or health club chains. You can also try the free introductory class to see whether the programme is a good fit for you. The best zumba fitness dance class should be small (at least one trainer per 10 participants) and features a spacious studio to move around, a good combination of dance elements and songs, and facilities that meet your individual needs.