[Gameplan] Dance your way to fitness with Zumba

MANILA, Philippines – Treadmills, crunches, and burpees aren’t the only ways to get fit. Why not shake off those calories with Gameplan host Mara Lopez and working mom Trixie Monteron through dancing with Zumba®? There are no age limits and there’s zero dance background needed! 

“It’s a new experience for me because I’m doing it for the first time with my new Zumba® family. My mom and my best friend are here. And Trixie, her mom, and her aunt are here. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fun,” shared Mara.

“Zumba® is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program. It incorporates Latin moves, music, and international dance steps. It’s not just a dance, it’s a party,” said Carlo Galvez, a Zumba® instructor.

Beginners try Zumba®

Starting your fitness journey with Zumba® is perfect because unlike other workouts, it’s all about enjoying the music and feeding off the good energy from the people around you. No pressure, no judgment – just a fun workout party.

“We were able to let loose a bit. We were laughing, we were going around, we were doing our own moves. You will feed off the energy of the people around you. I felt really energized,” said Trixie.

With Zumba, there are no age limits and no different levels of difficulty. The instructors make sure that the dance steps are basic enough that you can follow them, while giving you the proper workout you need. 

“You will get tired in the first 30 minutes. You’ll sweat. You’ll enjoy it. It provides good cardio for your heart, stamina, and endurance,” shared Carlo.

“After the workout, I felt good. I was like, ‘Yes, we did it!’ We were really high on endorphins,” added Mara.

#JustStart 

But like anything that you try out for the first time, Mara and Trixie encountered their own challenges when it came to trying out Zumba®. 

“The hardest part for me was really when the exercise moved to target the arms and the abs. Doing the arm rotations and the ab rotations continuously for a time, it really hurt. You get this numb feeling, more than anything,” said Trixie.

For Mara, it was the constant movement that eventually made her lose all the energy she had during the first part of the class. “The second half of the class, I was already really tired. So I was just swaying and just not being so extreme with my movements,” she said. 

“I learned that new experiences or experiences that you’ve forgotten and want to experience again like Zumba® can be more enjoyable when done with people that you love. The nervousness and the apprehension is less when you know that you have people who will encourage you to do your best,” added Trixie. – Rappler.com