6 Good Reasons You Should Give Zumba Fitness A Go

Last Updated on May 22, 2017

Maybe you have heard about zumba fitness and thought what is that? Is it any good? Is it for men or women, what age do you have to be or do you have to be fit to try it? The answer to these questions is that zumba fitness is basically a cross between latin dance moves and aerobics – anyone, male or female can do it and age is no barrier – there are often specific age category classes you can participate in if you want. Do you have to be fit – not really, classes are often categorised as beginner, intermediate or hard and when you are in the class you can go at your own pace – hard or slow.

Here are six good reasons you should try a zumba class or get involved in these workouts :

It’s Fun & Easy

You don’t need to be sporty. You don’t need to be an athlete. The movements are simple and straightforward – they don’t require yoga like body control and no-one is going to critique your style or technique. This is about increasing your movement and co-ordination, getting your heart rate up and having some fun.

The beauty of these classes is that there is no audience, it is a bunch of like minded individuals finding an enjoyable way to get fit – everyone is in it together.

Social Activity

If you take the option of attending a regular class (rather than buying the DVD and doing the workout at home) zumba can be a social activity. You progress together and develop a camaraderie with other regular class members. It is surprisingly easy to break the ice at these classes when you are trying to pick up routines or moves from one another or you are dropping out exhausted mid session because your fitness isn’t quite there yet. As time goes on you can develop a sense of achievement as you are able to follow more of the class and see out a session without stopping once your fitness has developed.

Zumba is a non competitive activity that you can do with your friends and make a focal point for meeting up or going on after a session for a coffee.

Inexpensive

Zumba fitness won’t break the bank. Generally there is no special equipment required – any gym with an open space will do and any loose workout outfit will do, decent zumba shoes or cross trainers are useful but the only other costs are your time and a class fee.

If you really want to cut costs you could go down the DVD route but this may prove less social..

Can Help You Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight then zumba fitness classes can be a great way to burn a few extra calories and hopefully shed a few pounds (check this study out) – remember, you will only lose weight if you burn more calories than you eat and zumba can certainly help you do this.

It is calculated that an average build woman can burn off an extra six hundred calories if you attend two one hour classes a week.

Part of the difficulty with losing weight is that you have to deny yourself of things you enjoy but with zumba you can take part in a fun activity knowing that it is contributing to you potential weight loss whilst you are enjoying yourself.

Improve Your Cardio Fitness

There is no two ways about it, getting more active will improve your cardio fitness. Zumba, with it’s constant requirement to move will get your heart rate up and breathing heavy. Classes are generally not that formal and no-one is going to bark at you for being off the pace so you can develop your cardio fitness. When your heart rate gets to high back off, when you return to normal gently get back up to speed. You will find with time you are able to fulfil more of a session and your breaks get short as your fitness improves.

For those who are already fit, zumba can be a great way to break the monotony of your normal fitness routine or to ensure you don’t get bored and lose motivation. If you put aside several hours for cardio exercise a week zumba can make a good alternative to cycling or jogging. Low impact and with plenty of opportunity to go as hard and as long as you like make zumba a great cardio workout.

Improve coordination and balance

Not many traditional forms of cardio or working out can really help to develop your overall coordination and balance – maybe boxing, gymnastics or yoga are the obvious picks. Many sports and workouts can deliver improvements in defined areas but for overall all body co-ordination and balance zumba and other dance orientated workouts are hard to beat.

As we get older – or really just less active – it is easy to decline in these areas. Zumba offers an easy way to get improvements in co-ordination and balance – you can train minor muscle groups and improve functional strength through dance, balancing moves and holding strength inducing positions. Whilst this is good for people of all ages if you are in older age groups it can be comforting to be able to actively choose to do something to maintain your mobility – zumba is an ideal choice for this. You can workout at your own pace and own level and often in specific age groups.

So there are six good reasons to have a go at Zumba if the opportunity arises. There are other benefits to this type of workout such as being able to do this workout anywhere and at anytime or being able to do it at home if you have a busy schedule. Why don’t you give it a go and see if zumba fitness is for you?