A little more than a workout

Fitness on your mind? Put on your dancing shoes and go the Zumba way.

This little beauty is the reason you will have no excuse for not working out post weight-gaining-festive season! It’s fun, it’s varied and it burns all those calories beautifully depending on how long you indulge.

And indulge is right because Zumba is anything but exercise. And for all those who love to dance, this is perfect. So what exactly is the Zumba fitness craze?

The latest on the fitness circuit, Zumba is a routine that combines international and Latin dance styles to energise, tone and exercise. And bringing it to you is fitness instructor Shalini Bhargava who is the only one in the country who trains people in Zumba. “I was in the US this year to update my programmes and saw Zumba every where. It’s a rage there; I myself went for a workshop and loved it so I decided to bring it to India,” says Shalini.

Zumba, she elaborates, is a fusion of Latin and International music; dance themes creating a dynamic and effective fitness system! “The routines feature aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body,” she says.

Shalini adds that this is more fun when compared to a regular exercise or dance class because there is no specific routine. “You don’t have to remember what was taught to you yesterday and it’s different every day, so boredom doesn’t set in,” she says.

And if you just don’t want to take her word for it, that’s fair too. “I just love the workouts,” says Latino dance expert Sandip Soparrkar.

“It’s not just dancing; it’s a fantastic mix of styles and works wonders on the muscles of your calves, back, abs - everywhere,” he says. But the reason he enjoys it the most is because he can just go to class and move with everyone without having to worry about technical correctness, unlike in a regular workout or a dance class, he says.

“It can be done by just about anybody because the routine goes through a high intensity interspersed with a low intensity workout,” says Shalini adding that being a total body workout, if one follows a high-intensity, one-hour workout, then it’s possible to burn at least 400 calories.
For more information on the workout look up www.zumba.com or call 2649277.
m_sandhya@dnaindia.net