This was taken today, just outside the gym after completing a Zumba class – that is a huge smile on my face! Can you see the dewy glow I have on my face  (ok, the dewy look is really from sweat & the glow is from the work out)!

I am always looking for ways to stay motivated to exercise! I find Zumba to be a fun way to get a work out & it keeps me motivated! I wasn’t feeling like exercising today, but forced myself to drive to the gym after work for a Zumba class. I know every single time I do Zumba, I will feel good, smile, and have fun! Really, every single time, it never fails to make me smile, sing, and gets my endorphins going, so I feel happy! Unlike other exercise classes that can be grueling, Zumba is fun, you dance, that’s it!

Do you remember how much you like dancing? Zumba will remind you. The Latin rhythms automatically get your hips and shoulders moving! Before you know it, you are singing along and moving to the rhythm of the music. Even if you don’t know all the steps, you can go at your pace and the more often you go, the more you will learn the steps. Most routines are repetitions of the same four or five steps.  According to dietandfitnesstoday.com, you can burn between 400 – 500 calories in one hour of exercising to Zumba. That is pretty good! It is mostly a cardio, aerobic workout but there are also specialized Zumba classes for abs and toning (I’ll include more about that in another post).

For those of you that are not familiar with Zumba, it was founded in 2001, by Beto Perez, it’s is described on Zumba.com as a global lifestyle brand, which fuses fitness, entertainment, and culture into a dance fitness solution. It is a latin inspired, easy to follow, calorie burning, dance fitness party! It is used in 151 countries, by 141 million people, in 140,000 locations. Wow, I was aware it is popular, but those statistics amazed me! I admire Beto for his entrepreneurial spirit to make his invention a success!

It really is like a party, some instructors even bring dj style spinning color lights to the class. The songs aren’t all Latin either. I usually take Zumba at 24 Hour Fitness gyms and the instructors also mix in hip hop, rap, african, and even hawaiian songs and rhythms. I have been exercising to Zumba for about 6 years and still love it! I even have the DVDs (available for purchase at Zumba.com) and do the videos at home. Sometimes, if I don’t have lots of time in the morning or weekend, but want to exercise, I will do three songs on the cardio DVD and the cool down. It takes about 15 minutes, but it is amazing how energized I feel when I start my day exercising! The cool down serves as my morning stretches. I’ve even taken the DVDs to my friend Lola’s and sister’s homes, and we’ve exercised in their living rooms to the DVDs. I admit it, by now I know the songs to the exercise routines on the DVDs!

So, next time you are not feeling very motivated to exercise, go to a Zumba class or put on the DVD! Trust me, you will start to dance and exercise! You will be smiling, have fun, & feel better! Think of it as an opportunity to dance, in comfortable clothes and tennis shoes, and without having to worry about how much you sweat! You will actually be glad you are breaking a sweat, it means you are getting a workout & burning calories! Plus, you may learn some steps that you can use on the dance floor at the next wedding, Quinceanera, or party!

Have you taken a Zumba class before? Do you like Zumba as much as I do? I am even getting motivated and excited just writing this blog post!

Hugs,

Paola

These are the Zumba DVDs I have at home! I have even taken the cardio DVD with me to San Francisco & Germany, so I could exercise while on vacation. I need to exercise and be active, even on vacation – after a few days I get the need to exercise, otherwise I start to feel lethargic and tired!

Note: As with other exercise, you should check with your physician before starting a new work out routine, to ensure it is appropriate exercise for your level of health.