Get Fit: Zumba

Dance classes have never been at the top of my agenda when it comes to fitness classes. My co-ordination seems to extend to only basic and simple movement patterns, rather than the elaborate choreographed ones. So when Zumba arrived on the Singapore fitness scene, I tried to ignore it. 

But then, all my friends around me started raving about Zumba, and I knew that if my friends knew more about one of the world’s international fitness trends than me, then my time was up.

So I dragged myself and joined my friends. A blast of Bollywood beats signalled the start of a 40-minute full-body workout that tested my co-ordination and humility to the max. We began a little awkwardly, but after a couple of tracks most people really got their groove on.

Although the demonstration was too fast and changeable to follow, much to my surprise, this made me realised how much I had enjoyed it. As we alternated between higher and lower intensity tracks, a bit like interval training, I could not stop grinning. Despite my 10 mistakes per minute, most of my major body parts were getting lightly worked, and I was loving both the atmosphere and the tunes.

As for difficulty level, aside from the ego-bashing I got, it was not hugely testing; it felt like the calorie burn was probably the same as a 40-minute run. 

One thing I am sure of, though, is that Zumba puts a smile on your face.

After all, it is fundamentally fun, and fun is like medicine for human beings. I understand better how Zumba has become not just a workout class but a global fitness lifestyle brand.

All in all, I am reluctantly impressed by Zumba. Anything that gets people moving and smiling as much as our class did simply has to have my vote.

I am hardly surprised to discover that many people report a reduction in stress and depression after attending regular Zumba classes. If you like pop-style music or enjoy dancing then I will bet you will love Zumba.

Shy types, too, might surprise themselves. If I can put my pride in my pocket and give Zumba a go then trust me, anyone can.