Day 23 ! Zumba

Ah fads, I love fads. The Skip 'n' Go, those giant colourful criss-cross "Scotland, England, Ireland Wales" elastics,  Pop-sticks (lollipops that you can wind down and close (like a lip balm) to save for later. Eurgh.), Tazos (they just didn't make number 25, I'm sure of it. My siblings and I went to a lot of crisps to draw that conclusion.), Susan Boyle, the small Chinese boy Susan Boyle (worth a google). But the main point - fads, crazes - quickly come and quickly go.

When Zumba came out and I first heard of it, I thought "that's interesting, I'd like to try that." Then when the Zumba craze started, I thought "that's crazy, now why didn't I come up with that?" Then there was the Body Pump/Kombat/Attack/Balance series, TRX, reformer pilates, ballet-barre classes, endless outdoor bootcamps and inevitably be more to come. Some fitness fads are short-lived (those sliding plates for one I haven't seen around for a while) but Zumba has been around for a while and now you can get Zumba Crunch, Zumba Tone or Zumba Aqua.

Zumba has been successful because of, I think, 3 vital ingredients:

(1) Music

(2) Easy to follow moves

(3) Fit, enthusiastic instructors

So simple! And all 3 were present in today's class (actually I went to this class on Wednesday). Instructor Natalie had boundless energy and each vibrant song track used simple (ish!) moves that were repeated over and over so we had the chance to get them. It was a fairly quiet class with only 5 students but this meant that we could dance around freely and not have to worry about bumping into anyone.

I remember trying a Zumba class a long time ago and thinking it was very salsa-ey and meringue-y. Today’s class seemed much less so – it was more of a general aerobicy dance workout, which would, I imagine, appeal to a wider audience and not just those who like South American style dancing.

As far as workout goes, it was a solid, fun way to exercise for an hour, nothing too strenuous or high impact but and if you get into the music and moves, not a bad workout!

The Need To Know:

- Where: Danceworks

- Nearest Station: Bond Street (5mins)

- When: Zumba on Mon/Wed 12-1pm, Mon, Wed, Thu 6pm, Fri, Sat 1pm

- How Much: Day membership £2-5 plus £5-8 per class depending on day

  

The Want to Know:

- Who’s it For: For those who want a light-hearted workout and enjoy music!

- Sweat Scale: 7/10. Worse till the giant fan was turned on!

- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: Medium cardio

- Complexity: 5/10. Easy to follow moves

- Fun Factor: 7/10

- Changing Facilities: Communal showers (I’d bring flipflops), toilets (not communal), changing room, no lockers

- Instructor Inspiration: 8/10. Friendly and so much energy!  

The Stats:

- Total Time: 52mins

- Calories Burnt: 145

- Average Heart Rate: 103

- Max Heart Rate: 142

Cheery Instructor Natalie!
(Man, I look a tad beefy...)