Zumba: Latin Inspired Dancing

The biggest fitness craze for women around the workout world right now is Zumba, the Latin inspired dancing that can burn up to 500 calories in one class. Started by Albert Perez in 1999, it wasn’t originally planned to go global and be the class every girl wants to attend at NDSU Wellness center, but it is the top, most attended class.

I attend Zumba on a weekly basis; it’s the best workout I could ask for, and I enjoy it at the same time. The big question a lot of people have is, what is it and why does everyone want to do it? There is a really easy answer to both of those questions. It is a dance and workout that uses every muscle in your body and works your abs and thighs tremendously. Now why does everyone want to do it? Well, would you rather dance and have fun or run on a miserable treadmill for an hour?
Zumba can be done by anyone. You don’t need to be an amazing and graceful dancer or an extreme workout fanatic. It is there for you to have fun and burn calories, no matter what your dancing abilities are, and the instructor works with people of all skill levels. The Zumba program has eight different types of dancing, but the most common one-- and the one offered at the NDSU wellness center-- is Zumba Fitness.

The dancing is the best part; moving around to upbeat music by using your hips and abs makes it a fun and addictive class. Once you start attending Zumba and find a class you like, you will be there every week and will never become bored. Zumba is one of the most inspiring and addictive workout classes I’ve seen in a long time.

The difference between Zumba and a basic workout is that in a basic workout, your exercises become the same repetitive motions every week. It has been said doing the exact same workouts every day is bad for your body, and can result in over-training because you’re doing the same motions and working the same muscles every single time. Zumba is dancing-- you can throw new moves and steps in every second as long as it’s fun, and you get a great work out and put all of your effort into it.

The most rewarding part is the end of each class when you cool down. You know you did a great job, worked all of your muscles and had fun, all in one class. Every time I leave I can’t wait to come back to the next class. Give Zumba a shot, and soon you might be addicted too!

Tiffany is a freshman majoring in political science and pre-law.