newbie & zumba

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Hi all, I was just lucky enough to stumble on this site-so I joined. I saw zumba exhilarate on a promo-thought it would be good for me. About to purchase. I am a stay at home mom to 3 girls(11,7, &21 months)Want to do zumba 5 mornings a week. I am 215 lbs and would like to get down to 160 in time. I need to get my muscles working again. Can anyone give me some stories of their zumba use and if it pulled your muscles together. Thanks!
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  • tpittsley77
    tpittsley77 Posts: 607 Member
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    Hi! I am a mom of a three year old and 5 month old. Been going to zumba classes for two months and I love it! Such a great workout! It goes quick because it is fun. And such a great calorie burn too. I hope you enjoy!
  • westdove
    westdove Posts: 174
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    Welcome! And I am a zumba fanatic as well! Zumba has been the bulk of my working out, but for the past couple of months, I have added some toning into my routine.
  • childofArtemis24
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    Hi i have been doing Zumba since September of last year and it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Our instructors are great and all the women that go to my class, are so positive and uplifting . And i have toned my body in places I never even knew existed. even though I have much more toning to do, It makes working out so much fun.

    And if you start doing zumba I would allow a rest period between days. Cause after the first workout, it will make all your muscles sore. Drink plenty of water, and be prepared to sweat. If you dont get the moves the first time, dont give up. The muscle memory will come.
  • cmbarnes
    cmbarnes Posts: 46
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    I've been going to Zumba classes since last fall, and I started dieting in February. I've lost a total of 30 pounds! It's a great workout, and so much fun! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! When I started Zumba, it was the first time in my life that I had fun working out, and it didn't feel like I was punishing my body. It's had such a positive impact on my life. Have fun!
  • joniep
    joniep Posts: 1
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    What do you put zumba under for exercise? I searched for it and I couldn't find it anywhere?
  • kdeoss
    kdeoss Posts: 1 Member
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    I have the Zumba game for the Wii and at the end of the session, I checked the stats for time and calories burned. Then I added zumba as a new exercise under cardio and put in the info. Hope this helps. Loving Zumba!!
  • courtneymal17
    courtneymal17 Posts: 672 Member
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    I do zumba 1-2 times a week, but also do a multitude of other workouts (yoga, pilates, kickboxing, running, swimming & weights). I've lost 39 lbs since Jan 1 :) It's definitely a great workout but as you do it, you might want to add in other workouts or workout videos that cross train you a little more. To log it, you'll have to create a new exercise and use zumbacalories.com (but i would highly suggest a heart rate monitor instead!!)
  • cheechlover
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    Thanks so much. I ordered it and now waiting impatiently.
  • cheechlover
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    It is so awesome that you guys lost that much weight doing something fun. I love dancing, even though I'm not that good at it. Who knows, mabeye this will help me become a better dancer:happy:
  • Lalee975
    Lalee975 Posts: 19 Member
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    I use the "dancing, aerobic, ballet....."
  • kimanne4
    kimanne4 Posts: 52 Member
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    I've been doing Zumba for six weeks now. I've lost 11 1/4 inches and 12.5 pounds so far! It works EVERY muscle in your body! I think you get out of it what you put into it. I might eventually add strength training but right now Zumba is doing all of it. We do a different combo of dances each time I go and I'm super sore every time. I hate to exercise but LOVE Zumba. Let us know how it goes!

    BTW MFP does have Zumba listed as cardio:)
  • SexyFatMomma
    SexyFatMomma Posts: 25 Member
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    I would like to get started with Zumba as well. The commercials look very exciting.
  • pattydi
    pattydi Posts: 55 Member
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    There is a websight out there where you can enter your weight, and the length of time you "Zumba" and it will calculate for you how many calories you burned. I saved it to my favorites on my computer for easy access... I too was curious about how to track calories and have heard sooooo many good things about zumba, I googled zumba calories burned and found it. good luck.. I also saw the info-comercial for those zumba DVD's... I want to order it myself... it looks amazing. I have also used my Wii to Zumba and it's a blast. Best of luck and hope you have fun... it's quite a work out.
  • Sheila_Ann
    Sheila_Ann Posts: 365 Member
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    I love Zumba! I've been doing it for a couple of months. I do it at a dance studio 3x a wk and then on the wii if I don't have time to go. I also work out with a trainer 2x a week and we do just weights to tone. Good luck in your journey and feel free to add me!
  • eudemonia
    eudemonia Posts: 149 Member
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    i've been really doing zumba about twice a week since february, and it's so much fun! i'm absolutely addicted, because it doesn't feel like exercise ;). i'm not sure if it's helped tone me, but the burn is great. i've lost 5 lb doing it. i hope you have a great experience with it once you get started!
  • amcook4
    amcook4 Posts: 561 Member
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    I've been doing Zumba on my wii for a while now. I love it and it gives me a great workout. Although, due to a recent back injury I'm taking a bit of a break until I can get to the chiropractor :sad:
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    I am a zumba nut. Great cardio. But you need to couple it with the right foods, and don't forget strength training as well.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    There is a websight out there where you can enter your weight, and the length of time you "Zumba" and it will calculate for you how many calories you burned. I saved it to my favorites on my computer for easy access... I too was curious about how to track calories and have heard sooooo many good things about zumba, I googled zumba calories burned and found it. good luck.. I also saw the info-comercial for those zumba DVD's... I want to order it myself... it looks amazing. I have also used my Wii to Zumba and it's a blast. Best of luck and hope you have fun... it's quite a work out.

    Using your heart rate monitor is a much more accurate way to track your calories. Zumbacalories.com really over estimates by as much as 30%.
  • hperowl
    hperowl Posts: 234 Member
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    Hi all, I was just lucky enough to stumble on this site-so I joined. I saw zumba exhilarate on a promo-thought it would be good for me. About to purchase. I am a stay at home mom to 3 girls(11,7, &21 months)Want to do zumba 5 mornings a week. I am 215 lbs and would like to get down to 160 in time. I need to get my muscles working again. Can anyone give me some stories of their zumba use and if it pulled your muscles together. Thanks!

    Thanks so much for posting this!!! I've been considering Zumba too. A lot of my friends are doing it in the gym and loving it, but as a Mom of 4 (11, 8, 3, 2) I don't have time for a gym membership and have to get my workouts when ever I can squeeze them in. What video did you order and from which site? Maybe we can start a Zumba group to help encourage each other?!?
  • direnfooch
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    Hello! I am new to this site as well and also a recently-introduced Zumba addict. I am 5'3" and and 230lbs so I still have a long way to go. I have only been going two times a week for about a month, but a lot of people around me have been saying that they already see a difference in my face. I love how rewarding Zumba is, it's a great thing. For that hour, you're not thinking about anything: food, bills, work, school, etc and you're just so caught up in the moment of learning the moves. All of my instructors have been highly motivating and go out of their way to speak with me and see how I'm doing personally. I'm also thinking of getting some of their DVDs to do at home during the week. Any recommendations? I wish you the best of luck and hope Zumba makes you feel as great about yourself as it does for me!
    Maybe we can start a Zumba group to help encourage each other?!?

    I agree with hperowl, this is a great idea!