Zumba!

Went to a free Zumba class last night. What a blast. I burned about 325 calories in an hour. but I have to wait to get my HrM to be sure.

I also sighed up for a special deal with this class - 10 lessons for $65. I'm planning on using the class to mix up my exercise and go once or twice a week.

My mood really lifts from doing a Zumba session. And it's a nice change from the stationary bike.
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Replies

  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
    I'm curious about zumba. It's dance right? Because I'm completely uncoordinated so was just wondering whether it would be worth it.
  • i love zumba its dancey but not too difficult im sure you will love it, each class is different so you get plenty of variety my zumba teacher is a killer and works us really hard i always burn 900 cals plus in our class but i do work extra hard to get my moneys worth :)
  • anaboneana
    anaboneana Posts: 195 Member
    oi! i dislike zumba. it's too unstructured for my taste... i feel happier dancing my butt off at home. (where i can look like i'm having seizures in the privacy of my own living room)
  • Moniqua1
    Moniqua1 Posts: 195 Member
    I looooove zumba! I'm a freak about it! I'm going to get certified to teach soon! There are several uncoordinated people who do it and no one cares because they're having fun! My mom kept telling me to try because it's "right up my alley" lol. If it weren't for zumba, I probably wouldn't have gotten into going to the gym as much as I do (5-6xs a week! 3 of those days are zumba) my instructor is one of my closest friends now! Lol! I'm an advocate, everyone should try it once!
  • I love Zumba too! And once you get your head around how it works the time just flies by! Plus, you realise that everyone is far too busy watching the instructor to even notice when you mess up. I do it at least twice and week, it's a brilliant way to start enjoying excersize rather than just enduring excersize.
  • ruksha123
    ruksha123 Posts: 42 Member
    I'm completely uncoordinated - especially if i have to move legs and arms together. But I love zumba - its so much fun and boy do you feel it working. Everyone in the class is sweating and puffing by the end of it. And Ashleigh is completely right.
  • bnfs2012
    bnfs2012 Posts: 29
    I am still uncomfortable in my own skin out in public...but i do the zumba on wii and for 45 minutes I usually burn 500-600 calories per my HRM...I love it!! I think once I get to a comfortable weight, I might actually go to a class!!
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I got the game for the PS3 for my daughter and I've been using it on my cardio days. I never thought I'd love it as much as I do! I even find I have the songs running through my head during the day, and even when I wake up in the morning. I took a mini class and one full class that was given for free at my Relay for Life event, and the game works you just as hard as the class if you do the expert level. The mini class was at my son's high school, and I outlasted half of the kids doing it! You should try it at least once.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    I thought I would hate it but I like it because I imagine I'm in an 80's dance movie like Fame or Flashdance. Sometimes I pretend I'm in Beetlejuice when latin music is played.
  • I love Zumba!! I do it at home with the Exhilarate DVD's and I love every dance routine they do! Admittedly some routines are more difficult than some but are easy enough to pick up once you get the hang of it :D
  • bekah1301
    bekah1301 Posts: 48 Member
    Absolutely love Zumba :) And if anything, you burn more calories if you do it wrong because you're jumping all over the place trying to catch up so either way it's win-win ;)
  • I love Zumba and recently got certified to teach it. I've been doing it for more than 3 years now and within the first couple of months I lost 20 pounds total. My brother, on the other hand, lost 70 pounds and has kept it off by doing Zumba. It's really great seeing as how its a workout in disguise! At first, I didn't want to join in the classes but my brother got me try it and I loved it. No one cares if you mess up, as long as you keep on moving and having fun, it's all up to you whether or not you get your workout on! :)
  • starlikedolly
    starlikedolly Posts: 71 Member
    I started with the DVD's yesterday and am already hooked. It's so much fun!
  • stephm112
    stephm112 Posts: 297 Member
    I love love love zumba. I wasn't sure about it the first time I did it but am loving it now. The teacher is amazing and crazy. It does help that I grew up listening to salsa etc so I have some idea what I'm doing and pick it up quite quickly, but even the nutty unco-ordinated people have a blast. i burn over 600 cals an hour it's mental. So much fun :)
  • KaydeForce
    KaydeForce Posts: 96 Member
    To those who are doing Zumba at home with games/DVDs: I did the same thing because I was too scared to go to the gym and make a fool out of myself in Zumba class. But: I finally went and LOVE it. It's so much fun. It's not about doing all movements exactly right. There is no right way. And I burn way more calories in class than I did at home.

    If you're like me and the reason you're doing it at home is because you're scared, then don't be. People are there to work out and have fun, not to look whether everybody does it "right" and looks "pretty" doing it (I certainly don't but I don't care :))
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    To those who are doing Zumba at home with games/DVDs: I did the same thing because I was too scared to go to the gym and make a fool out of myself in Zumba class. But: I finally went and LOVE it. It's so much fun. It's not about doing all movements exactly right. There is no right way. And I burn way more calories in class than I did at home.

    If you're like me and the reason you're doing it at home is because you're scared, then don't be. People are there to work out and have fun, not to look whether everybody does it "right" and looks "pretty" doing it (I certainly don't but I don't care :))

    I do it at home because I can't afford to take a class right now, but I'm hoping that will change by next month, because I want to take the class with the lady who taught the mini class at my son's school. Her studio isn't that far from my house. I burned 368 calories in 48 minutes doing the game yesterday morning. I was pretty happy with that. :smile:
  • dont let uncoordination scare you away. It is a fun class and no one is worried about what you are doing, the thing to remember is you are there and burning calories no matter how uncoordinated you feel:)
  • lisaissasa
    lisaissasa Posts: 402 Member
    Yes, lol, me too. I always tell people I dance like Elaine on Seinfeld. Too funny.
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
    I LOVE ZUMBA!!! There is a class near me that meets at a school (so it is off right now til school starts back up) and we have a BLAST!!! I would LOVE to be able to teach it too!! My teacher is a KILLER when it comes to squat type exercises with her classes but, I LOVE THAT!! There are PLENTY of uncoordinated people who do it and jsut have a bvlast!!

    BUT, you have to concentrate a little on encaging your muscles a bit to get the max out of it. I know 2 women who do it 2-3 times a week and dont get much out of it at all. BUT, I know other women, like myself, that only get 1-2 days a week and get much more out of it because we try.

    ENJOY IT!!!
  • DefyGravity1977
    DefyGravity1977 Posts: 300 Member
    I absolutely love Zumba! I have it at home and can't get enough. At the moment, I am mixing it with the P90X series. It helps to loosen up my tight back muscles from a car aciident in 96.
  • Rav3nfan
    Rav3nfan Posts: 24 Member
    I love zumba and usually back-to-back one hours classes on Tuesday and Thursdays!!! It's awesome and I've met a lot of nice people.

    I've been taking zumba classes for almost two years. Try it twice and you'll get addicted.
  • nszocinski
    nszocinski Posts: 156 Member
    Look for an Aqua Zumba class at your local YMCA or aquatic center. Burns as much or more than land zumba. I do it 3 times per week and it is the reason I love the gym. No one can see whether or not you're coordinated since most of your body is in the water. Easy on the knees and a great workout. Love Aqua Zumba!
  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
    Really glad this has come up and kind of fate. I have had my mouse poised over the 'book' button for the zumba class at my gym twice today but keep fretting.

    I went to book a while ago and the instructor mentioned that you can't wear normal trainers for the class. What does everyone wear on their feet?

    Thanks for any replies : )
  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
    Look for an Aqua Zumba class at your local YMCA or aquatic center. Burns as much or more than land zumba. I do it 3 times per week and it is the reason I love the gym. No one can see whether or not you're coordinated since most of your body is in the water. Easy on the knees and a great workout. Love Aqua Zumba!

    Thanks for the tip. They've just introduced this at my gym and I might give it a try - no worries on which footwear for that : ) I'm guessing you just wear swimming costume as you would to go for a swim?
  • Sevio
    Sevio Posts: 181 Member
    LOVE ZUMBA!!!! I am addicted! But I guess it's a good thing to be addicted to right!?!?!
  • I loved it--I did it with a girlfriend twice a week and had a blast. I'm terrible at moving and couldn't move my hips the way the teacher did, but I always worked up a sweat and a lot of laughter. Keep with it!
  • StacyLynnBennett
    StacyLynnBennett Posts: 28 Member
    I absolutely love Zumba it is so much fun. I have been going for a long time now and go 4 times a week plus other exercise class. They offer RIPPED right after one of the Zumba classes. It doesn't matter how skinny or if you are a bigger person like me or if you are uncoordinated it is a fun class and you get to meet some really cool people. I take all my classes at the YMCA so it is really fun and the instructors are very encouraging as well. Going to Zumba at the gym is a lot more fun than doing it at home by yourself though. I am addicted to it as well and that has got me motivated taking other classes. Just try them all to see how you like it and go from there. :happy:
  • kingsqueen306
    kingsqueen306 Posts: 12 Member
    I had only seen a few seconds of a zumba class (driving by thru the window), then when my husband and I got our Wii system, he encouraged me to get a dancing disc for myself to help me have fun and lose some weight. I wasn't real sure about it, but got the Zumba 2 for the Wii. I tried it and had a LOT OF FUN! It's not hard to follow the steps, and you can get cheat spots where they show you what step the "instructor" is gonna be starting next. The more you get into it and enthusiastic you are, you get fireworks to go off on the screen and the higher your "score". I try to do a "short class" (4-5) 2-3 times a week. Even my 2 children (B 2, G 5) love doing it with me. :love: :laugh: :happy:
  • I have just recently started Zumba! and i have to say i love it! I can't dance at all and my hands and legs don't work together when i try to. But i love just the whole fun atmosphere, no pressure to learn the steps perfectly and the fact you are none stop moving for a whole hour. I might not be the most co-ordinated person in the world but i always finish my class laughing, out of breath, and sweating buckets!! I cannot recommend it more, for anyone like myself who hates any form of exercise its a great ice breaker!
    I also have it for the wii but i'm yet to try it, i don't think i'll get the same great atmosphere as a class, but its cheaper and i can do it to my own schedule...

    ... Happy zumbaing everyone!
  • MellyGibson
    MellyGibson Posts: 297 Member
    Really glad this has come up and kind of fate. I have had my mouse poised over the 'book' button for the zumba class at my gym twice today but keep fretting.

    I went to book a while ago and the instructor mentioned that you can't wear normal trainers for the class. What does everyone wear on their feet?

    Thanks for any replies : )

    I am a Zumba instructor currently - I LOVE this tread! :)

    As for what to wear on your feet...I have 3 pairs of "Zumba" shoes that I rotate wearing - one pair IS a "normal trainer" pair. I think a lot of it depends on how much you're doing. This topic comes up a lot with instructor's, too. The main thing to remember is to NOT be on the balls of your feet all of the time. Try to get your heels down as much as possible - both to engage other muslce groups and to avoid plantar fascitis (which seems to haunt Zumba instructors). Pick a shoe that has good support (or use insole inserts), one that allows for pivots and lateral movements. Many people use regular running shoes, but those are designed for forward movement, not lateral, and they usually end up complaining after a few classes.