Does Zumba Work?

The 35 women in the New York Sports Club all clapped in unison to the flamenco music blaring from the loudspeakers. The crowd had come to dance.

Zumba (a Colombian slang term which means buzz like a bee) is a Latin dance fitness method.

Beto Perez, now a celebrity fitness trainer, started the class by accident in 1986. He forgot the music to the aerobics session he was to teach in his native Cali, Colombia. A quick-thinker, Perez improvised and taught using salsa and merengue tapes found in his car.

  1. From Mistake to Money Maker

    • In 1999, Perez brought the class to the United States. He teamed with entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion. Today, they have sold more than 3.5 million DVDs through infomercials, according to figures the company provided in 2008 to the New York Times. There is a Zumba instructor-training program and a partnership with Kellogg's Special K cereal. The trio has created new products like Zumba Gold, a program for senior citizens and ZumbAtomic, a version for children.

      As of July 2009, Zumba is taught in over 40,000 locations in 75 countries, according to figures reported on the company's website. You can find it in health clubs, dance studios, YMCA's, corporations and community centers around the world.

    What to expect in a class

    • At a Zumba class, participants can expect a mix of salsa, samba and cha-cha dance. An instructor has latitude to imprint her own personality on the hour-long routines. Depending on the teacher, the class can include merengue, mambo, rumba or belly dance moves. One New York Sports Club instructor is fond of flamenco. Another incorporates hip-hop movements into her class.

      The session begins with a stretch to prepare the muscles. Workouts target the legs, butt, hips, stomach and arms. The heart rate goes up too as the music pulses. Even the skin breathes better as sweat and other toxins are released.

    The payoff

    • In general, regular aerobic exercise has numerous rewards. Weight loss is one outcome. Another benefit is the reduction of health risks like obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. Depression, anxiety and other moods can be uplifted through keeping fit.

      Zumba is simple to master. Other activities like stair climbing, bicycling or swimming can be more complicated. Grab a pair of sneakers, join a Zumba class and you are on your way to the rewards of aerobic exercise.

      Consistent exercise is also important. The inclusive environment of Zumbas classes encourage people of all shapes and sizes to come again and again.

      What Zumba delivers is a space to let loose and have fun.