This is my friend Tania. When I first met her, I was incredibly jealous. I’ll admit it. This picture doesn’t do her justice – she could easily win Miss Universe she’s that gorgeous. And she’s had two kids. But then I got to know her and she’s one of those rare types that are as kind as they are beautiful and all the jealousy evaporated. (Also, one of my talents in life is being able to get over emotions very quickly. Sure it makes birthday parties less fun but I never stay mad!) My curiosity, however, stayed. I’d see her and wonder how she did it – if it was just great genes or iron willpower or something else. And then when I posted something on Facebook asking people for their experiences with Zumba, I got my answer.
And it wasn’t just her answer, it was the answer for a lot of women! Many people talk about exercise in general being life-changing for them – certainly has been for me! – but it is the rare workout that people credit specifically for saving their lives. CrossFit, martial arts and yoga are the ones that come immediately to mind but in my research for a Shape.com piece, I kept coming across another one and it surprised me: Zumba.
I’m not sure if it’s the freedom to be sexy or the freedom to dance without having to be sexy. Or maybe it’s the cameraderie? The fun moves? The super cute skirts?? (I want one of those hip jangly things SO BAD.) I’ve done Zumba myself and really loved it – I’d do it regularly if my gym offered a class at any other time than the middle of the day on Saturday – but it’s hard to put my finger on exactly what makes it so transformative for so many women. And transformative it is: the women who shared their stories for my article cited Zumba for everything from helping them overcome depression/anxiety (Mrs. Fatass!) to assimilate into a new culture like Tania to gaining confidence like these two gorgeous ladies:
Cassie & Anna getting their Zumba groove on!
Any of you do Zumba? What was your experience like it? Check out my slideshow on Shape and my article on why you don’t need mad dance skillz to love Zumba and tell me what it is about Zumba that makes it so different than other cardio classes?? (And for any of you feeling left out of the Zumba love, not everyone falls hard for it. Turbo Jennie is a certified Zumba instructor and yet she’ll be the first to tell you that it is definitely not her groove.)
Zumba aside, do you have a particular workout (or type of workout) that you would say changed your life?
Other stuff I wrote this week:
Are the benefits of barefoot running worth the risks? (Yeah. Kinda. Sorta. Really depends on who you ask….)
8 Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
10 arguments not worth having with your kids
Great Mom Debate: Do you let your kids spend their gift money however they choose? (Behold the plague of Pokemon….)
Why French and Chinese Parents are Mean – And why I want to be just like them! (No seriously, Paula Druckerman’s new book Bringing Up Bebe: sounds really awesome. And I don’t usually get excited about new parenting books.)
How generous is the tooth fairy at your house? (This is one childhood tradition I really hate. We’re paying them money for used teeth! If they grow up to harvesting kidneys in a bathtub of ice we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.)
Whitney Houston on the soundtrack of my childhood. (It was like one of those crazy writing assignments they give you in college: Whitney Houston. Eulogy. Related to parenting. 400 words or less. GO! Eesh. And it’s true: I’ve never seen “The Bodyguard.”)
I love Zumba, and I have zero coordination! If I can do it, seriously, ANYONE can. And I don’t even care that I look like spastic giraffe: it’s so much fun!
I don’t like Zumba. Tried it, but couldn’t stand the sexist attitude of the founder Beto (I was at the Int’l Fitness Convention). And the lack of cuing thing is lame.
What workouts do I LOVE? DrumsAlive Qignition & Step
I want to be sure and say that I love the people who take Zumba; just don’t love the format or the founder. Exercisers Rule!
http://funandfit.org/2012/02/3-tips-for-preventing-shin-splints/
Ah see, I had a very bad experience with Drums Alive! (But then I didn’t it take it from you so that was my first mistake…) I don’t know anything about the founder of Zumba but now I’m curious!
I have never done Zumba. Sounds like I should! I do have a workout that changed my life, though. This past October i missed my regular bootcamp class so my instructor said I could make it up at an intervals class she teaches. I went, loudly proclaiming “I am not a runner!” and, well, the rest is history. A couple of weeks later I decided I wanted to run a 1/2
marathong and I am training for it now!
Hahah I love it!!
Water aerobics. At 32. Seriously! It can be one of the toughest workouts you can do (and YES – the instructor CAN see that you are cheating even if most of your body is underwater!) while being gentle for joints and backs. Like any other workout, you get what you put into it. The toughest class I took was from a 80 year old woman. Felt like nothing at the time, but I followed her directions to the letter and could barely move the next day. Partly, what really won me over was the wonderful attitude of the seniors in the classes – they are delightful, have a great long-range view of life, and accept everyone regardless of looks. I mean everyone!! And boy howdy do they stick together and watch out for each other. (Wow – never have I typed so many exclamation points.)
I totally believe this. Only two workouts have ever made me throw up (when I wasn’t pregnant) and one of them was in the pool. And I love that you can appreciate the seniors in your group – I feel exactly the same way!
weights
weights
the
I
R
O
N 🙂
I cannot do any work outs that move my hips, my body is unsuited for that and regardless of my ridiculous core strenght and good flexibility, especially in the hips, leave my lower back in agony. I have tried it and cannot do it. I like taekwondo. It changed my life it gave me self confidence and it was the first time I felt good about myself physically and the first time anyone called me athletic and the first time I felt the pride of accomplishment.
I think I was 30 before anyone ever called me athletic! And you’re right – it’s the greatest feeling!! I want to try taekwondo.
I just recently got to try Zumba (finally!), and had mixed feelings after the first class. It was a bit different from what I had expected after reading about it on blogs and watching videos. But now I totally love it! Our instructor is hillarious, and always makes sure that we keep smiling. He (!) is a standard dance instructor by day, and that’s probably the reason why our class is a little different.
What I love the most about Zumba is that it doesn’t matter if you do everything right. It’s all about having fun while jumping around and shaking your hips.
Oooh I want to come to your class!!
I can only dance in front of people if I’ve been drinking. Like weddings. Not sure Zumba is ever going to be in my repertoire.
I dunno, I’m guessing you wouldn’t be the first person to do Zumba with a few cocktails;)
I love Zumba! Exercise is so much easier when you can do it with a smile on your face. I’m not sure what it is exactly – maybe because I’ve always loved dancing and Zumba feels more like dancing than exercising. I would expect that classes are going to vary a bit based on the instructor – an earlier comment mentioned lack of cuing but the instructor who teaches the class I attend is excellent at cueing ~ she’s also just a lot of fun and very encouraging if you are new to the class. The music is awesome and makes you want to move. The class flies by. What’s not to like?
As for workouts that have changed my life, for me it was just discovering that I can like working out. After years of hating gym class and being terrible at every thing we did, I was convinced that I was no good at anything fitness related. I thought I hated exercise. I’m still not good at sports, I’ll never be any kind of amazing athlete BUT that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy exercise and be fit. It took me a while to realize that, but it was a definite confidence boost when I figured it out. I wish gym classes could do a better job of teaching that.
“Exercise is so much easier when you can do it with a smile on your face” – Love this!!
I tried Zumba with a friend for a couple of months, and it wasn’t my thing. It was kinda fun making the hip jangly thing tinkle, but that novelty wore off quickly, and I’m not a huge fan of the music; a little goes a long way.
I’m not a fan of ANY of the dancy/jump-around-alot classes. I’d much rather lift weights or do boot-camp stuff.
I’m impressed you stuck with it for a couple of months! And hey I think it’s awesome that you found what you love.
I have never really enjoyed exercising at all. Sure, I’d do the occasional yoga class or force myself to run a mile on the treadmill. I found Jillian Michael’s, and I loved that, but making myself do it was another story. My job now though, girls do Zumba after work. I was a nervous wreck about going the first time, but I’m hooked!! I love it, and it’s such a fun way to burn calories! Laughing and enjoying the music, most of the time I don’t even realize I’m working out!
Oh this makes me so happy!! I love that you love it:)
I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks like a blast. My sis in law tried a class and she loved it so much she is now an instructor 🙂 If there was a class at a tiem even remotely accessable to me right now i’d go, cus I bet it woudl be a blast.
Workouts should be fun. I’m so glad there are things like this out there that make people feel comfortable and free in their own bodies. 🙂
I haven’t done that much zumba, but what I’ve done, I’ve loved. It’s so enthusiastic and upbeat! It’s fun getting everyone together to dance with reckless abandon and not worry about looking silly. Also, rarely have I sweated so much in half an hour (although part of that might have been the cramped room and broken fan, oh well).
But the workout that changed my life was probably swing dancing. Maybe it’s more of a social event than a workout, but it definitely gets your heart rate up! It gave me the confidence to be active in public and actually gave me a reason other than a clothing size or scale number to want to get fit… so that I could keep up with the moves. More importantly, it might have been the first time that I pursued an activity that wasn’t expected of me (I had been told that only nerds swing dance, which I wholeheartedly disagree with). It gave me the confidence and resolve to finally be me.
Swing dancing changed my life too!! And it is a fantastic workout. I have long wished that somebody would make a swing dancing workout (like they do with Latin dancing and Zumba) so that I could use the childcare at my gym and keep dancing:)
I have actually never tried zumba… Which is odd, because I love cardio ballet — which I imagine is similar in intensity?
I actually would say that bikram yoga (or rather the poses… I am waiting on better physical health to add in the heat) has changed my life in a positive way… Because it mandates a certain degree of mindfulness. That mindfulness helps me feel centered and more able to access wise mind – which, in turn, results in better decision making. Less acting out of emotion or pure (disordered) logic. It also incredibly helps with my anxiety.
This: “Less acting out of emotion or pure (disordered) logic. It also incredibly helps with my anxiety.” YES. Yoga does this for me too.
I haven’t tried Zumba yet/. However, in college i tried spinning and that changed my life! I still have a spinning bike in my home gym and bike almost everyday.
It may not be the exact answer, but the day I was at a karate workout and my Sensei said I was FAT and that motivated me to change my behaviors , that changed my life!
Zumba is great!
I participated in a Zumbathon and had a blast! It was my first time doing Zumba, and while I struggled with some of the steps, I smiled through the whole 2 hours!
Yay for Anna!
For me, it was running that has changed my life. It’s shown me I’m capable so much more than even I give myself credit for (and trust me, I don’t lack confidence or in giving myself deserved credit!).
” It’s shown me I’m capable so much more than even I give myself credit for” This makes me just grin:)
I’d question wheter HGH has any real effect on aging. There is a lot of hype surrounding this hormone from people who want to sell you “anti-aging treatments” but no real evidence that it slows aging and some evidence that it might be harmful. A recent review on this is
“Systematic review: the safety and efficacy of growth hormone in the healthy elderly.” Ann Intern Med. 2007 Jan 16;146(2):104-15.
See also “Can We Prevent Aging?” by the National Institute on Aging (part of the NIH), which discuses the evidence that high HGH levels might actually accelerate aging.
I agree that HGH as a supp is a bad plan but I think increasing production in your own body by natural means is a different story. Thanks for the references though – I love reading up on this stuff!
I am so intrigued by Zumba! But I see the classes at the gym… how do you ladies get your hips to move around like that? I think I need a personality transplant to de-butchify my body, as well as a memory transplant to learn all the steps. But it sure is fun to watch!
” I think I need a personality transplant to de-butchify my body, ” ROFL. I bet you’d be better at Zumba than you think!
I’ve tried Zumba (3 different instructors), and as a fitness professional I have issues with the format.
1 – I don’t like that there are NO safety cues or cueing for movement. It’s a recipe for injuries. Yes women are getting injured in Zumba! I have two clients with knee injuries from Zumba.
2 – It’s NOTHING NEW, honestly!!! Seriously, remember the Jane Fonda aerobics? Richard Simmons? Now put those moves to latin music, give it a new name and BOOM you can now charge instructors $300 for a licence to teach the format.
3 I hear time and again “why aren’t I losing weight? I go to Zumba 5x a week!”. Because you need to do resistance training! And not “Zumba toning” don’t get me started on that!!!
disclaimer – if women are going purely to have fun, then have at it.
As for a workout that changed my life? Weights. Resistance training all the way. Lift hard, lift heavy and get results. Love Body Pump and CxWorx!
All 3 excellent points. The Zumba cueing is odd – it bugs me too. And yeah, dance aerobics is dance aerobics but I do think the Latin angle is a new twist that people are really responding too. You gotta admit Zumba is a lot more sexy than Richard! Lastly, you are for sure right that women will not see the changes in their body that they want without lifting some heavy weights! The overabundance of any kind of cardio is a problem a lot of people have so I’m glad you’re getting the word out!
I enjoyed the heck out of zumba, but I don’t go because a) the times at my gym suck too and b) this one is harder to put into words but – between tri training (even off season) and trying to ramp up weights, it’s not a good use of an hour for me unless I have a spare hour I would otherwise be doing nothing. And that’s VERY rare.
Hey priorities are important!
I am a total crossfit addict. Been going 2 years now and it never gets old.
I have never done Zumba but have to try it soon! I think you have a great site here and so I linked it to my readers at 9 Kid Fitness at http://9kidfitness.com! I know they will enjoy it as well…keep up the great work.
Is it wrong that Zumba has become my Friday night activity instead of going out? I’m the worst student ever. I love it, though, and it’s far better for you than alcohol 🙂
Haha – not wrong at all! Sounds like my kind of Friday night:))
No Zumba here but the day a guy asked me in the gym if I was interested in competing in bodybuilding changes my life – love affair with weights from that point forward! 🙂
No barefoot stuff for me – all Hoka OneOne!
I can’t even begin to say how much I love Zumba! I was so bored with everything else (p90x, The Firm) that I was about to call it a day, but then I tried Zumba! I can’t wait to do it everyday! I haven’t felt this way about a workout since the first Firm workout back in the 80’s. And I love Beto! That’s the culture he comes from. Don’t be hating’ on him!
Huh? I’m not hating on Beto! I think Zumba’s a riot! Although I don’t have much experience with the DVDs – I’ve just done classes.
It was another commenter, not you. They said Beto was sexist.
I tried Zumba once and I loved the camaraderie, the jumping (that was just me, I jumped up and down the whole class because I can’t move my hips…), and the laughing (again, mostly just me, because I could see in the mirror how terrible I was at it). I can totally see how people could get into it, especially if they can actually do the moves. It’s something I would do for fun but not necessarily for fitness.
Intensati is another (new) exercise that people claim to be life-changing. It’s exercise/dance moves performed in a sequence while shouting positive affirmations like “I believe it I can see it” and “I am stronger now!”. I found it to be quite a powerful form of setting intentions for bettering my life. But I didn’t stick with it because when it comes down to brass tacks, I want a super efficient workout that blasts calories and most dancy-type classes leave me with much to be desired on the actual fitness front. I am a resistance/HIIT junkie.
True – for myself I see Zumba more as entertainment than as my workout. I definitely sweat but I prefer HIIT and heavy weights for body changing:)
I know a lot of people who do Zumba and love it, but haven’t had the chance myself. I am obsessed with dancing, but haven’t really exercised in quite a while. Hopefully I will find a life-changing workout soon. 🙂
I don’t know that it changed my life exactly, but yoga has made a huge difference for me (I’m a cliche). For the first time in probably forever, I’m actually working out and in shape but not overdoing it to the point of being unhealthy. And it’s made a huge difference in my stress levels and general outlook – but that’s really due more to the instructor than the yoga itself. I do truly believe though that there’s no one right diet/nutritional philosophy for everyone, and the same for exercising – it’s not one size fits all.
But I’ve really come to think that the instructor/trainer/people are just as important as the workout itself. Finding someone who pushes you as much as you need but more than you need (some people need to boot-camp style, some people need someone more gentle and supportive and less in-your-face), well, I think that makes a bigger difference than WHAT you’re doing.
I tried Zumba a few times, and it was OK. The problem was, I’m not much of a group class person (the class was crowded, or the instructor picked songs I didn’t like, etc., plus it was not convenient for me to get to class). It’s a great idea, though. Now I am totally addicted to the “Just Dance” game on the Wii–similar to Zumba, I think, but I get to do it at home, whenever I feel like, and I don’t have to do the songs I don’t like. I figure if nothing else, at least I’m moving around and enjoying myself!
I love Zumba! It is SOO much fun, and it is a pretty good workout too. You need a good instructor though- the instructor’s are really who make it or break it.
And the whole class is so friendly- everyone is just laughing and smiling and doing their best to move their hips like the instructor. When I did it, I did it twice a week as a combo stress-relief/exercise class.
But I did start it right after I got sick with a relatively serious illness, so I wasn’t in great shape or looking for a hardcore workout. I don’t know what someone who is really intense and in great shape would think of it exercise-wise, but I’m pretty sure they’d still love it just because it is so fun!
Spinning bikes changed me. I can work out at home ,get smelly and sweaty and nobody’s the wiser. It really makes me feel good about myself and I lost 20lbs! It does take work but the best things in life aren’t free.
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This is substantially further than the 10 × 30s (4.2 meters) or the near-focus champs, the 10
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When comparing binoculars of equivalent quality, the bigger
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