I’m sure many of you have heard of Zumba dance. From the catchy music and movements of various styles inspired by Latin American dance, Zumba has quickly become one of the more popular workout routines around the globe.
Zumba dance has many benefits. Ranging from being the perfect exercise routine for reducing belly fats to boosting self-confidence, Zumba could provide us with an improved quality of life and encourage an active lifestyle. Read on to discover the benefits of Zumba.
Here are 8 benefits of Zumba dance.
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Burn stubborn belly fats
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Effective in reducing body weight
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Entertaining
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Known to improve sleep quality
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Widen your circle of friends
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Perfect for relieving stress
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Boost your heart health
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Improved in self-confidence
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Burn stubborn belly fats
Have you been facing the struggle of getting rid of your belly fats? Get up and engage in Zumba dance classes!
Zumba dance is also known to be a simple and effective method of reducing belly fats with a full-body workout.
It is a high-intensity workout that is proven to melt belly fat and improve cardiovascular fitness. According to a study highlighted that followed 19 female participants in a Zumba class (https://www.ndtv.com/health/these-simple-and-effective-exercises-can-help-melt-belly-fat-within-no-time-do-include-them-in-your-1970403), the average calories burned was 9.5 calories per minute, which was more than Pilates or kickboxing. If you struggled with the ever-challenging abs workout, you could perhaps consider a change of engaging in a Zumba class. Of course, it’s not advisable to completely give up on exercising when it gets hard. However, engaging in a routine that you find enjoyable might motivate you to get moving and stick to it.
Effective in reducing body weight
Does Zumba work for weight loss? Yes, it does! As mentioned before, Zumba allows you to burn calories quickly, which makes an ideal exercise routine for individuals who are aiming to lose weight but do not want to engage in strenuous exercises.
However, not all classes are of the same intensity.
I know it sounds contradictory, but just like any other exercise or dance routine, the increase in intensity would be equivalent to more calories loss. The lesser the intensity, well, it means fewer calories are lost.
Having attended many Zumba lessons, the classes conducted range from different intensities on different days. At times, I would feel like I have run a marathon after 1.5 hours of vigorous movements and dancing. Other times, I would feel like I barely move much.
How often should I do Zumba to lose weight?
According to the American Council of Exercise, the recommended realistic weight loss a person should strive to is 300 to 400 calories per workout session with a minimum of three days per week. (https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/continuingeducation/resources/4a5wy7yz/fss/Chapter3.pdf) How often you will engage in Zumba dance workout depends on your fitness goals. Hence, if you are aiming for that perfect summer body that you have always wanted, get up, and start your journey with dance.
Zumba is entertaining.
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Zumba dance could be a fun routine to engage in replacement for traditional fitness programs. As compared to other dance classes such as hip hop or ballet, there is less pressure placed on memorizing the dance steps and more on having fun in a Zumba fitness program. You don’t have to be a good dancer to enroll in a Zumba dance class.
Before attending Zumba dance classes, I have always thought that I needed to have at least an ounce of dancing skills in my bone to be on par with the students and instructors in class. It took me some period of thinking and courage to finally sign up for a class. Lo and Behold, the first class that I took blew my mind away with how different it seems from what I had expected. It was exhilarating to be belting out some hilarious moves, yet it provided an enjoyable time for me to sweat it out instead of being behind the computer screen all the time. The dance moves taught by various instructors were easy to follow as well.
As compared to other high-intensity workouts, Zumba dance is entertaining and makes working out less taxing.
Improve sleep quality
Zumba has also been scientifically proven to help you get better slumber. Aerobic exercise is one of the activities mentioned that could aid in improving sleep quality. (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/best-exercises-sleep) As Zumba is also a form of aerobic exercise, engaging in a small bout of dance might be able to aid with tackling insomnia and improve sleep. It is also highlighted that people sleep significantly better after engaging in exercises for about 150 minutes per week. (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/study-physical-activity-impacts-overall-quality-sleep) Have you ever felt sleepy throughout the day despite sleeping for eight hours? Perhaps attending weekly classes of Zumba might fight sleepiness and increase your productivity.
As an individual who had her fair share of experience with feeling lethargic 24/7 of the day (probably because of too much screen time), Zumba has done its significant and surprising benefits with helping me stay refreshed and alert, which in turn increases my work productivity.
Perfect for relieving stress
Living in a fast-paced city, the probability of encountering stress in your daily life is inevitable. Be it deadlines, friends, or family relations. Stress management is important to keep us going.
You might be thinking, does Zumba help in relieving stress?
It does.
Citing from a study done among the members of a Zumba class, the participants were tasked to complete a survey, in which 96% of the participants showed a high-stress level before practicing Zumba dance. (https://www.journalcra.com/sites/default/files/issue-pdf/23047.pdf) The results show a stark contrast among the participants when 82% of the participants showed that they have a low-stress level after engaging in a month of practice. The positive effect that Zumba dance has on stress reduction was due to the stimulation of hormones such as norepinephrine and dopamine, which is essential for the improvement of mood. In case, you are ever feeling under the weather on a certain day, you could enroll yourself in a Zumba class.
Widen your circle of friends
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Attending dance classes simply means you stand more chance at widening your circle of friends with others who share a common interest. Since Zumba dance is mostly group activities, you would be welcome in various social situations at any given time. Zumba classes are mostly designed to be safe and effective for students to follow. As mentioned before,
Zumba dance is mostly centered around exercise-related routines, hence less importance is placed on memorizing a dance step. You wouldn’t have to fear feeling odd or lonely as Zumba dance provides exposure to an entertaining and social environment.
Feeling a lack of motivation to exercise? Well, then it’s time to ring up your besties for some session of fun. What’s better than having to lose some calories while catching up with old friends? We get to kill two birds in one stone. Besides, celebrating each milestone of completed classes feels like a good achievement that is worth putting on your record.
Boost your heart health
Nothing gets your heart thumping like the bass in Latin inspired upbeat music. The routines in a Zumba workout that ranges in different intensity provides a near-perfect workout for your heart. According to the Journal of Sports and Health, Zumba dance yields a higher heart rate and intensity level as compared to salsa. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254615000393)
In a Zumba class, dance routines centered mainly on the upper body and lower body movements. It also highlighted that Zumba participants received higher physiological benefits as compared to salsa dance.
Similar to many high-intensity workouts, Zumba can reduce the risk of heart diseases, lower blood cholesterol as well as boost good cholesterols.
(https://biostrap.com/blog/improve-your-heart-health-with-zumba/)
Improve your self-confidence
It is seemingly noticeable that our energy and confidence would soar every time we move our bodies. I can attest that many workouts could help to increase one’s self-confidence.
In my case, Zumba is an incomparable workout that helps to boost my self-confidence. As you can tell, attending a Zumba class means tons of fun and engagement. I was initially afraid of the idea that people might judge my movements through the mirror when I started my first Zumba lesson. Especially when I came in with the mindset that I need to memorize some choreography just like other dance lessons that I have gone to. However, I have eventually found myself smiling and moving confidently without caring about any judgment.
I became more comfortable and thankful that most people didn’t care about the number of times I messed up. This experience is one of the greatest takeaways that I have attending Zumba lessons.
Conclusion
An effective Zumba routine provides physical, mental, and social health benefits that are useful for us.
You could enjoy an improved quality of life with the combinations of perks. If you hate to exercise but having the desire to be active, why not try giving Zumba dance a shot? It's suitable for all ages and it’s entertaining. With all these benefits listed down, are you ready to try it?
Sally