Get In on the Zumba Craze

On a recent business trip, I found myself staying in a hotel with a “fitness center” consisting of a single treadmill and lone stationary bike in a poorly lit, foul-smelling room—not my kind of recipe for workout motivation. My stay-fit solution? I found a Zumba class.

Chance are you’ve heard of Zumba—after all, the company touts that 12 million people in 125 countries show up each week. This is one hot fitness trend, and there’s probably a class (or two or five) within walking distance of you right now.

Zumba involves doing Latin dancing-style moves to fast-tempo music, explains Sharecare Elite Trainer Shameeka Williams, who teaches a weekly class in New York City. She knows why it’s all the rage: “It is very fun, and you don’t even realize that you are exercising,” she says. There’s a lot to be said for a workout that doesn’t have a whiff of “work” about it.

What’s more, you don’t have to be an uber-coordinated dancer-type to do the steps (trust me on this).  Sure, there’s choreography, but it’s not complicated, and no one really cares if you get it just right. Everyone (and by “everyone” I mean everyone—tall, short, thin, fat, old, young, you name it) seems to be there to have a good time as much as to work up a serious sweat. (Click here to learn more about what goes on in a Zumba class.)

Want to see what some of the moves are like? Then you’ve got to check out this video clip of Sharecare’s own Dr. Oz busting a few Zumba moves on his show.

So to recap: Zumba is tons of fun, you burn loads of calories, and the classes are everywhere. What are you waiting for?

What’s your favorite kind of workout? We want to hear about it! Leave a comment in the box below.

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File under: Expert Spotlight