Benefits of Zumba
With the rise of social media and the promotion of living fit and healthy, a movement mainly led by influential people in social media, new forms of exercise appeared. Since a lot of people can’t really dedicate a lot of their time to fitness and workouts can be quite boring to some that aren’t used to it, it was hard for them to get some exercise in.
Not until Zumba!
According to the Oxford dictionary, Zumba is an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance and performed primarily to Latin American dance music.
In simpler terms, it’s a form of fitness routine that burns off your calories by dancing to different tunes including modern music.
If you’ve ever passed by or watched a Zumba class, you may think that it’s pretty similar to just any other dance class.
Contrary to the gym or other fitness classes, you won’t hear grunts or noises of pain from a Zumba class. It isn’t quiet like a Yoga or Pilates class either. Instead, a Zumba class is full of catchy music, clapping hands, and enthusiastic cheers from instructors and participants.
If you think it sounds fun, wait ‘till you hear the long list of benefits you may get from it!
It’s a full-body workout
Since Zumba is a blend of salsa and aerobics, you can really expect that you’d be moving your entire body during the routine.
You’ll effortlessly lose weight
By moving to the beat, you might not even notice the time passing and your body sweating. Just move to the beat of the music, it doesn’t have to be a precise movement, so it isn’t stressful at all.
According to a Zumba research by NCBI, a 40-minute Zumba class can burn 350-600 calories. If you are someone that weighs 180 pounds, you’ll burn approximately 754 kilocalories after an hour of doing Zumba.
You’ll build endurance
A study found that after 12 weeks of a Zumba program, participants showed a decreased heart rate and systolic blood pressure with an increase of work. These trends coincide with an increase in endurance.
In order to help burn calories, music played during Zumba classes is relatively fast-paced. Although that may sound intimidating, moving to the beat is a lot easier than it sounds.
You’ll improve your cardiovascular fitness and blood pressure
According to the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, participants were exercising at an average of 79 percent of HRmax and 66 percent of VO2 max. This makes Zumba an efficient workout in increasing aerobic capacity, a measure of cardiovascular fitness.
On the other hand, a 2020 study showed that there is a reduction in blood pressure by 3.33 mmHg in systolic and 3.2 mmHg in diastolic. Thus it shows that Zumba dance have significantly reduced blood pressure without any intake of blood pressure reducing pills.
Zumba is adaptable for any level of fitness you have
It’s just like dancing, but way easier!
Zumba improves your quality of life
Besides its long list of health benefits, Zumba will also help with your social relationships. It exposes you to a fun and social environment and is a safe and effectively designed workout that you can easily follow along with.
Zumba is also something you can start doing by yourself in the comfort of your own home.
What are you waiting for, why not give it a try?
If you are interested in something different, consider reading our article on Pilates, another beneficial form of fitness you may want to try.
