Jayanti Krishnan 

Many of my friends and colleagues have been asking about the ‘Zumba’ mania that I have developed lately.

As I turn 40 this week, I thought of penning my experience with Zumba – my full body workout which does not feel like work!

Surprised?

Well, I was too.

While I had been a fitness freak throughout my life and have tried all sorts of exercises from Gym to Power Yoga to Aerobics to Walking and Running, I found this to be uniquely different. I must say that these forms of exercises helped me in some way or the other.

However, I found Zumba to be one of the most fun and versatile fitness trend to come along. It is the perfect way to reduce those extra kilos you might have put on during the summer break / festive season or for that matter – pregnancy. It is a fitness regime that is not dull or monotonous as opposed to any routine workout.

Though I am not an expert as yet, here is what I love about Zumba:

What is Zumba?

I started Zumba classes last year and I would define it as the perfect workout and a complete fitness package encompassing dance workout, aerobics and high intensity training. This combination or the variety makes it more interesting and not only takes care of your exercising needs, but also helps to get rid of all that stress you accumulate during your day, leading to a happier you.

Zumba has some upbeat moves that lead to the release of mood-improving endorphins. And by doing Zumba, you will surely be able to feel your worries melt away as you lose yourself in the music.

Why is it different from other forms of workouts?

Workouts that feel like a chore are hard to get excited about. In fact, workouts do not have to feel like workouts at all.

But with Zumba, you cannot even call it a workout. It is so enjoyable that you actually want to keep coming back to it. It completely changes the notion of exercise and you soon start looking forward to it. It will keep you on a healthy routine. The music is fast, upbeat and contagious, so you cannot help but keep moving.

And since it takes place in a group setting, Zumba is by far one of the best ways to get your friends in on your ‘exercise routine’.

With the classes choreographed to provide intervals of intensity in both pace of music and type of movements, class members’ energy expenditure is maximized for fat-burning benefits.

What are the benefits one can derive from it?

Zumba is both a dance class and a fitness class. Aside from its heart-healthy benefits and improved blood pressure, Zumba provides a workout for the whole body. From head and shoulder rolls that loosen up the neck and warm up the upper body, to footwork that strengthens and stretches calves and ankles, this fitness method touches on nearly every muscle and joint. Even those who are just learning the dance steps will find themselves waking up the day after a Zumba class with a definitive post-workout positive feeling.

Besides losing weight, Zumba can help lower your risk of heart disease, reduce your blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and boost your good cholesterol.

There is actually no age to learn Zumba. By joining a Zumba class, you will definitely improve your coordination, which is extremely important to maintain as you grow older. You will improve your posture, have better coordination and feel good about yourself. These changes will reflect immediately on your mood and on your appearance. It is most useful for helping to maintain a good cardiovascular respiratory system. It increases how much oxygen you can breathe during a high-intensity event. It actually tones your entire body.

You may feel sore in places you never knew existed, but it gets results. Zumba targets many different muscle groups at once for total body toning.

Overall, the quality of life is improved and your pain threshold is increased.

I am part of the Alistair’s Dance Academy and am thankful to them for creating interest and more importantly, helping me maintain the same! The variety they teach in every class keeps us going.

The class makes me happy and if I am caught in a sullen mood, my husband and son are quick to question me, ‘Isn’t there a Zumba Class today?’

Additional magnetizing benefits – Auto Facial

Though this will not eliminate the need to do a facial, but it will definitely reduce your trips to salons and parlors. It boosts blood circulation which not only brings additional nutrients to your skin; it also helps remove damaging toxins. It helps eliminate wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen. It reduces stress and unclogs pores. A fast-paced aerobic workout causes sweat. And the process of sweating just naturally tends to clean out facial pores. Last but not the least – if this is combined with a balanced diet with a proper amount of nutrients, the weight loss will be evident while radiating your skin naturally!!!

I have started my journey and have a long way to go – though am already witnessing results!