Zumba Videos

So, what is the deal with Zumba Fitness?

Zumba Fitness needs to be on your new year’s resolution list, and pretty near the top, and it pretty much needs to say something along the lines of “Go to three classes a week, try different instructors, and prepare to have a fantastic time, get sweaty and lose pounds.” Now that’s a goal.

Zumba Fitness is an awesome workout that I discovered by chance back in the UK, just as I was entering into a “lose weight, get fit” phase. And now I’m instructor here in the USA, based in Maryland, throwing shapes and dancing my socks off five times a week. And I love every minute of it.

Yes, it is dancing, and it really is for everyone – all shapes, sizes, abilities and genders. The music is Latin and dance, and the moves are set in modifications so that you can engage at the level that you feel comfortable with. There is high impact, cardio and toning, making it similar to interval training, but with Zumba you also are guaranteed a massive smile on your face and you will feel like you’re at a party. Really you will!

The hour of a Zumba session goes too fast – “are we already at cool down?” I often think. That’s because it incorporates different moves, easy to follow steps and has a ‘formula’ which means you get the rhythm and beat and you’re dancing, really dancing!

There will be songs you know and songs you’ve never heard of, but after a few sessions you’ll be anticipating the next move and feel pretty smug.  Instructors add in new songs and choreography to keep you [literally] on your toes and there is a notion that you become part of the Zumba family.

I’ve found a fantastic Zumba family in Maryland already. And through this I have been inspired to increase my fitness levels even more….setting out my new year goals through my teaching and other fitness classes.

So, I’m starting a fitness blog all about my fitness fails, disappointments, achievements and amusing anecdotes as I march towards hitting ultimate fitness at 40.

There are 24 months until I am 40, and I’ve never actually been as fit as I am now, but that is not to say I cannot get fitter.

In two years I have lost 40 pounds, and I have reached a happy maintenance level at 123 pounds. So it’s not really about losing weight now, it’s about reaching ultimate fitness, strength and endurance ability. And it’s about abs. I really want abs

Here’s a brief history of my fitness:

School – pretty fit, in lots of sports teams.

Early 20s – fairly fit only owing to dancing every weekend in clubs. People used to ask me in my early 20s how I had such a flat stomach, and I used to say salad and sex, mainly because it amused me. The truth is that food was not on my agenda then – I don’t remember eating much, or being that interested in it.

Mid 20s-early 30s – any regime of fitness was minimal and I now had an overwhelming agenda of partying which included a lot of booze and subsequent hangover food and it all went down hill from there.

And then I got pregnant.

Now, I could say that the 40 pounds that I needed to shed was baby weight, but only a small proportion of it really was. The rest was a bunch of laziness, booze and food. And I no longer had a flat stomach. I had a very wobbly, round stomach with stretch marks.

So I cut out the booze and then I took up netball (American friends, this is a sport not dissimilar to basketball…see link here and began to shed the weight and really tone up.  People began to notice…my clothes didn’t fit anymore and it felt good to be fitter.

One night I saw a bunch of ladies dancing in the hall prior to a netball match and I went in to see…..ZUMBA! I joined in….and that was it, I was hooked. Nine months later I’m taking my Zumba fitness instructor training and am down 30 more pounds and have so much energy that I’m doing an hour of Zumba, then playing two netball matches in one night and signing up for more netball and Zumba any time I can get it.

I changed my diet, got clean and lean (with a few treats and the odd glass of sparkly) and I’m feeling good.

Fitter, slimmer, happier……but as I see 40 approaching me round the corner, it’s all still to play for, all still in my control, and that’s why I’m aiming for this:

Current weight: 123 pounds

Goal weight: 120 pounds

Current body fat ratio: 17 percent

Goal body fat ratio: 14 percent

Current abs: none

Goal abs: six

And how am I going to do this?

By training hard (adding in Aeroboxing, Body Pump and Corealiates and Body Sculpt to my current workouts), keeping up the Zumba (instructing and taking other instructors’ classes) and eating protein till it is coming out of my pores!

Sadly, netball is just a one-off treat when I can find a team in the USA playing near me.

On my Forty Shades of Fitness blog I will log my food and exercise for you to follow, and, I hope, inspire you.

Why Forty Shades of Fitness?

The ‘forty’ surely speaks for itself. And ‘fitness’ is my Christian Grey, my all-consuming passion, my addiction, my relationship that knows no bounds etc etc!

Bring on the fitness! Bring on your new year goals – good luck!

See my Zumba class schedule here:

 

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When you think about Zumba, you imagine people wearing brightly colored cargo pants and pumping their fists.

You think about the dance fitness craze.

But Zumba isn’t just about fitness — it’s an entire franchise that turns dance instructors into entrepreneurs selling apparel and CDs.

A decade ago, Alberto Perlman decided to launch Zumba so that he could sell the classes as VHS tapes on late night infomercials. 

In 2012, Zumba was named ”Company of the Year,” by Inc.com and is currently the largest fitness brand in the world.

Screengrab

When you think about Zumba, you imagine people wearing brightly colored cargo pants and pumping their fists.

You think about the dance fitness craze.

But Zumba isn’t just about fitness — it’s an entire franchise that turns dance instructors into entrepreneurs selling apparel and CDs.

A decade ago, Alberto Perlman decided to launch Zumba so that he could sell the classes as VHS tapes on late night infomercials. 

In 2012, Zumba was named ”Company of the Year,” by Inc.com and is currently the largest fitness brand in the world.

The Sullivan Parks Recreation Program Zumba class recently collected more than $600 and an impressive food donation for the Sullivan Food Cupboard recently. About 80 people are estimated to have participated.

Participants are pictured dancing.

Beth Zecher (center), Laura Wimmer (right) and Melissa Stanek team-teach the course.

Submitted by Beth Zecher

(Chittenango, NY – Dec. 2012)  I run the Town of Sullivan’s zumba program and team-teach with Melissa Stanek and Laura Wimmer; we have THE BEST participants in our program – as you can see, they are very generous.

Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance workout, but you don’t need to dance to join us! The town runs three different Zumba programs. Along with Zumba (which is so successful, we are full), we have Zumba Gold which is for 55 and up, and we also run ZumbAtomic, which is for kids.

All of the programs are featured in the Parks Recreation brochure mailed periodically by the town.

For more information, call me at 315.427.9393, visit us on Facebook (Chittenango Zumba – the group, and Chicknango Zumba – me.

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Zumba has been around for almost two decades, but it seems as if interest in it has skyrocketed in the last few years, and Hoboken is holding its own.

Here’s a Zumba 101 in case you’ve been living on another planet: A fitness program involving dance and aerobics, Zumba was founded in the 1990s by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez.

It incorporates a wide range of dance traditions, including hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, meringue, mambo, belly dancing, cumbia, flamenco, chacha, reggaeton, bhangra, axé, tango, and even martial arts, squats, and lunges.

Susan Pascale is a Zumba instructor at Club H at 110 Sinatra Drive.

“It’s spread like wildfire,” Pascale says. “You don’t have to know how to dance to do it, and in an hour class you can burn over 400 calories. It’s a great cardio workout.”

Pascale has been dancing since she was two. When her mother saw her dancing, she took her to dancing school, where Pascale studied ballet, tap, and jazz.

“Zumba uses various basic styles with international music,” Pascale says.”You can take the class around the world and offer them a taste of different dances.”

If you’re a jock or a fitness freak who isn’t comfortable dancing, don’t worry. “You don’t need a dance background,” Pascale says. “You just follow the instructor’s feet.”

Though there are more women than men in most classes, Zumba is for everyone: Zumba Gold is for older people. Zumba Toning uses toning sticks (light hand-weights). Aqua Zumba takes place in a swimming pool. Zumba Circuit is dance combined with circuit training (resistance and aerobics), and Zumbatomic is for kids.

Pascale’s advice? Get your cross trainers and get to work. “You don’t know unless you try,” she says. “Start out with an open mind.”

Over on Willow Avenue, Kelly Wadler teaches Zumba at Work it Out Fitness Studio. She, too, has a dance background. A dancer since age 9, she graduated from Hofstra University with a BFA in theater performance.

By her own admission, she has had self-esteem issues resulting from a constant struggle with weight. But since she has been teaching Zumba, she’s lost a whopping 30 pounds—and counting. “I refound my love of dance through Zumba,” she says.

“Women, in particular, love Zumba because it is a way to let go and release,” Wadler says. “It becomes very cathartic for women to dance it all out, whether it’s a stressful day or kids at home.”

Its artistry is another plus. “It’s a different type of exercise,” Wadler says. “It has the added component that you can do your own moves and express yourself through dance.”

Work it Out Fitness Studio hired Wadler despite the fact that she was a little overweight at first and prides itself on being welcoming and nonthreatening.

It was just that when I visited on a Monday evening to watch Kelly do her thing. It’s a compact space with feminine colors, and it had a distinctly female-friendly feel, as women of all shapes and sizes gathered for what was obviously a Monday-night ritual.

The lights were dimmed in the workout room, which was packed. The music was loud, and I could feel the beat under my feet. It’s truly a thrilling exercise—fast, rhythmic, beautiful to watch, and a terrific workout. It’s clear that Wadler has developed a loyal following.

“I get to know the clients so well,” she says. “It’s never intimidating for them.” She tells them not to worry if they are not coordinated. “It’s about having fun,” she says. “You can dance to your own groove. Keep moving and you’ll catch on. When you get to learn the steps, it is more fun than discouraging.”

As an instructor, she says she has to give 110 percent. Then, “the students will give 70 percent. If I give only 70 percent, the students will give 40 percent.”

Her “partyesque” style helps students give their all. “Dancing to music with people feels like going out to the bar with a bunch of people you like,” she says.

Though her classes attract mainly women, she welcomes men. “If the music is super girlie,” she says, “a man might say he can’t take that type of class, but a certain type of man who is sure of himself can dance with a bunch of women.”

One of those men is Matt Buoncuore. And he’s an unlikely Zumba enthusiast. A 62-year-old former Hoboken firefighter, he travels from Morristown, sometimes seven days a week, to take classes at Hudson Athletic Club

He said a woman friend kept encouraging him to go. “I went one day and fell in love with it,” he says. “I don’t like to run or bike, and it’s very good cardio.”

He admits that his men friends give him a hard time: “The guys bust my chops, but it’s friendly ribbing.”

He’s one of the oldest in a class of mainly women, ages 20 to 40. “But I feel comfortable,” he says. “There’s no pressure.”

And you can’t beat the fitness benefits. “In an hour you sweat like you wouldn’t believe,” Buoncuore says. “People think it’s not hard, but it’s truly a hard workout. If you do it right, it pinpoints certain muscle groups.”

Though a Hoboken native, Buoncuore retired in Morristown. “The mileage piles up,” he says, “but I love it that much to make the sacrifice.”—Kate Rounds

Club H Fitness

110 Sinatra Drive

(201) 653-4040

clubhfitness.com

Hudson Athletic Club

130 Washington St., Ste. 401

(201) 798-1811

hudsonathletic.com

Work it Out Fitness Studio

603 Willow Ave.

(201) 222-0802

workitoutgym.com

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The Latin beats are thumping and the sweat is just breaking inside the Power Zone on South Church Street in Burlington when the floor clears and 10 women reach for maracas.
The percussive instruments are shaped like dumbbells and slightly weighted. These ladies, of all ages and demographics, move through a series of salsa, merengue and samba steps, peppered with ballet and belly dancing.
“All right my little ballerinas, time to do your pliés,” Angela Seabrooks calls. “This is your Brazilian booty-lift,” she tells her panting students a few minutes later.
This is not the average workout or the average dance lesson. This is Zumba.
Pronounced “zoom-bah,” the choreographed workout is built on fast-paced Latin dances and designed to deliver high-energy cardio with moves simple enough for those with no dance background to pick up within a session or two.
Since its introduction to the home-workout market in 2002, Zumba has gained a devoted following around the world. In 2005, Colombian-born Zumba creator Beto Perez began certifying Zumba trainers. Between the DVDs and the growing number of enthusiasts looking for different kinds of workouts or who might otherwise feel uncomfortable in gyms.
Zumba is everywhere. Certified Zumba classes are available at 26 locations in Alamance County, with nearly 60 classes a week at churches, gyms and martial arts studios.
“I was looking for something different. My friend got the DVDs and I tried it. I fell in love with it,” Seabrooks says. “It’s a natural way to work out. It doesn’t feel like a chore.”
Seabrooks runs Zumba classes five days a week at the Power Zone. Becky Wall of Graham is one of her students. On Dec. 18, Wall, 59, brought along a pair of size 20 jeans she keeps as a trophy. Little more than a year ago, they were her go-to pair. Now she looks as if she could fit into a single leg.
Wall gained weight after several battles with cancer and was ready for a change. She’d tried walking and running, but got bored with the routine. It was the same with going to the gym. In September 2011, she went on Weight Watchers. In April, she began taking Zumba classes five days a week.
“With Zumba, you’re able to start at your own pace and build to the speed of the instructor,” Wall said. “It’s just so much fun. There’s so much energy. There’s a real spirit that you don’t get in a gym.”
Others echoed those sentiments.
“I’ve never stuck with any kind of exercise, but I just can’t wait to get here,” Randi Atkins of Burlington said. “My family went to the mountains to go camping on vacation. Everyone else was outside and I was in the trailer doing Zumba. They were all laughing and said they could see it bouncing!”
Zumba has since expanded its franchise into different styles of workouts, including water aerobics and kids’ exercise programs. Seabrooks is certified to teach a number of those classes, including Zumbatomic for kids. Her dream is to teach Zumba full-time.
Across town, Robin Franklin runs four classes a week at the Alamance Community YMCA on South Main Street in Burlington.
Franklin and his wife were professional ballet dancers in the 1980s and early ’90s. After he retired from dancing and kids came along, he began gaining weight. When he heard about Zumba and took a class, he thought it was fun. He also realized it was something he could instruct.
Franklin is Zumba-certified but has modified his classes somewhat to cater to beginner dancers. Zumba is instructed non-verbally, but realizing that people are often self-conscious about dancing in front of others, Franklin uses verbal cues.
“I want them not to be intimidated. The people who need it, I want to help get them moving,” he said.
The 15 dancers in his Friday evening class Dec. 14 puffed their way through standing crunches, Cha Chas, jumps and kicks. After a breakneck routine through LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” participants were groaning and gasping through grinning teeth.
“Let’s do something a wee-bit slower, how about that?” Franklin said.
“Hallelujah!” a middle-aged woman called.
After 55 minutes of dancing, everyone left the Y’s group exercise room with smiles on their faces and towels dabbing at their foreheads.
Franklin said that each Zumba instructor has their own style and admitted that he’s not as into “the Z life” as some others. There are clothes and Zumba accessories and even a Zumba magazine. But he believes in the health benefits of dancing.
“Dance fitness is good for people,” Franklin said.
“Studies have shown that people who dance, not only do they get the physical benefits, but combining physical coordination with that mental process builds more neural pathways. That’s been shown to ward off dementia.”

To find certified Zumba classes in Alamance County, go online at www.zumba.com and click on the “find a class” tab. For more details on Power Zone, visit power-zone.info or call (336) 399-8577. For more details on the Alamance County YMCA, visit acymca.org or call (336) 395-9622.