Thinking of trying out ZUMBA?

This week I decided I needed to supplement my one hour's worth of exercise per week (Tap class) with something a little more aerobic.  And since Zumba appears to be where it is at these days, then Zumba it was.

Frankly it didn't matter which days of the week I could fit it in, nor where I lived.  There are Zumba classes at four different locations within a mile radius of my house.  Where ever there's a sports centre, leisure centre, village hall, school hall, dance school or gym, you will find a Zumba class.

After a quick Internet trawl of the Zumba.com website I found local instructor Lucy Perry's profile. This looked like an instructor I could get along with.  She's an ex-contemporary dancer (as am I), and a quick phone call later, which turned into a 10 minutes chat, concluded that we would indeed get along.  So off I trotted.


Zumba is a 70% Latin based workout, 30% dance based (at the discretion of the instructor) workout.  We did a bit of an Irish jig for that section.  I couldn't stop smiling!

If you are looking for an effective aerobic fitness programme that is a lot of fun, then Zumba is definitely for you.  But be careful not to take the claims at face value and be realistic!  Some sites claim that you can burn 1000 calories a class.  That's as maybe, if you leap about with the same enthusiasm and energy as the instructor.  More likely you will find yourself in a class of 'marchers' who step instead of jog, waft their arms out instead of punching, and skip instead of jump.  These people may well become very disillusioned at the success of the class if they are searching to loose weight, because they are too busy being self conscious to really let themselves go.

Me?  Well I'm a realist and not at all worried about what I look like in class.  I gave it my all, came out with a face as red as a tomato, my hair plastered against my neck, panting heavily.  It was great fun and my aim is to get fit and have fun, so I will definitely be returning!

Another great more detailed review of Zumba can be found at weightwars.co.uk

Click here to find your local class! and to read more about it.

Have fun!