Zumba question!

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  • hillary124
    hillary124 Posts: 112
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    I love Zumba too! I don't eat much right before because I always do the high intensity version and food in my stomach seems to weigh me down. About 30-45 minutes before class, I eat a Lara bar and it seems to be perfect. They are all natural so it isn't like a sugar high which will drop you half way through the hour class. The Lara bar gives me just the right amount of energy without being to heavy so I can still go all out in class.

    I have been buying my Lara bars at Whole Foods or natural food stores. I heard about them on Biggest Loser and I am now a fan. Be careful if you chose to eat a full meal before class, if you do high intensity, it may make you sick.

    Zumba is so fun! I hope you enjoy it!

    I eat Luna bars, which I get at Whole Foods or Publix or Target or Wegmans (:
    Theyre my favorite, so I should probably try one this afternoon before i go to zumba!
    Thanks for the tip :)
  • LosingLizard
    LosingLizard Posts: 69
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    When I do it it generally says I've burned around 500 or little more, but I also don't do everything right when doing it LOL


    Hahahah thats what im afraid of!
    I did a cardio class once and could barely do half the stuff I felt so ashamed :P

    The cool thing about Zumba is it is very forgiving. It doesn't matter if you do it right, it just matters that you try and are moving. Believe me, I burned the same amount of calories flailing my arms and tripping over my feet in effort as I did when I finally got that salsa right. LOL And almost no one in the class can dance...at all. It's just fun. No one cares how you look.
  • missym357
    missym357 Posts: 210 Member
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    According to my hrm I burn between 400 and 450 kcals. I love zumba- it is so much fun for me that I don't feel like it is a workout and I get a better workout there than in just about any other class. I hope you enjoy it!:)
  • Pigpug100
    Pigpug100 Posts: 24
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    In order to truly know how many calories you will burn, you must take into account your age, height, weight and intensity of the workout. This is where a heart rate monitor comes in handy. I am 45, 5'6" and weigh more than I should. I typically burn between 650 and 750 calories per hour of zumba. Tonight, for instance, we did a nice variety for arms, butt, abs and cardio so I burnt 650 calories. Wednesday was cardio and butt so I burned 708. I would invest in a heart rate monitor. Mine is made by New Balance and was around $50. I'm so glad I got it, I like knowing how many calories I burn each workout. I even put it on for when I have all the fun snow shoveling or raking leaves---hey, it all burns calories! I do love zumba, I have never had to force myself to go, I love the workout and the hour just flies by.
  • daphnemoon
    daphnemoon Posts: 216 Member
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    Also, it will depend on the intensity of the class. I've been to lots of different teachers and have burned wildly differing amounts (lowest @300 for a pretty pedestrian class to 580 for a more aerobic-based class) so different teachers will have different styles.
    It is a lot of fun though!
  • SarLem81
    SarLem81 Posts: 115 Member
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    I'm 5'2", 153 lbs, a Zumba instructor part time and I take classes with other instructors as well. Honestly, the HRM is the best way to go for an accurate calorie count. If you can manage to get your HRM for a gift (I got it for a birthday present last year after telling people for months that it was the only thing I wanted), I say go for it. College is tough and these things aren't cheap, but they work for every workout. I wear mine almost daily. How much I burn in a Zumba class depends on how well I know the choreography (you don't have to do it perfectly, you just have to feel confident in what you're doing. And honestly, most people in a class are too focused on what they're doing to notice what you're doing, so just have fun with it!) and how much energy you put into it. I was off all this week for some reason and only burned 600-700 calories in class. I normally burn 800-900. Having the HRM makes all the difference in knowing how you're doing.
  • mheightchew
    mheightchew Posts: 334
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    I love zumba!!! I make sure I keep the intensity up (arms up high, stay loose, jump when possible, etc) and I burn about 750 per class.
  • hillary124
    hillary124 Posts: 112
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    Thanks for all your input! Ive been averaging putting it into MFP as 450 calories, just because I dont have a HRM and dont have alot of money to get one being the poor college student that I am :) I love it though, im having alot of fun! :D
  • lmbigsby
    lmbigsby Posts: 36
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    I eat breakfast at 6 am, am snack around 10:30 then off to Zumba at noon and lunch after. Some days it depends but for the most part that is my schedule.

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