Wednesday, March 30, 2011
WHAT IS ZUMBA® TONING? 
It's an exciting, Latin inspired, dance 'n tone program. This is the original dance-fitness class taken to the next level. ZUMBA® TONING is an innovative muscle training program with the addition of light weight toning sticks. We provide the sand-filled toning sticks, which are very similar to maracas. In a relatively short period of time, this challenging workout helps in building coordination and muscle endurance. Now that you've worked on your lower body rhythm, its time to perfect the upper body! The NEW and exciting Zumba toning program is designed to offer the participant a safe, yet effective total body toning workout! This class is open to everyone, no previous dance or ZUMBA® class experience necessary.Check out this HOT-NEW class!! Though drop-ins are ALWAYS welcome PRE-REGISTRATION is highly recommended for this class.
See you in class!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
75% of the Party Hearty™ Zumbathon® ticket fee and 30% of limited edition Party Hearty Zumbawear™ product sale prices will benefit the American Heart Association’s Go Red Por Tu Corazón Movement, with a minimum campaign donation of $100,000. Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent provided by law. Go Red trademark of AHA, Red Dress trademark of DHHS.Copyright © 2011 Zumba Fitness, LLC | Zumba®, Zumba Fitness® and the Zumba Fitness logos are registered trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Zumba: Fun Is Secret Ingredient of Latin Dance Workout
In Zumba exercise classes, it's all about feeling the music.
Latin rhythms pulse from Pittsburgh's Club One aerobics studio, where Maria McCalister leads a Zumba class packed with the glistening bodies of nearly 50 people seeking to swivel, pivot, and shake their way to fitness.
McCalister coaches her students to feel the music, be it salsa, meringue, or flamenco. "I don't talk much," she says. "I let the music move them and inspire them."
"Latin music just tends to make you feel happy and good," says McCalister, 53. "I can have the bluest day, be depressed, hormones ranging, whatever, and get in front of that class, turn on the music and I recharge my life, my soul."Zumba, an aerobic dance class set to South American beats, is hot in health clubs and exercise studios from Miami to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.Adds McCalister: "When I put on Traigo Una Pena, a cha cha, my class just screams. They're somewhere else; they're not in Pittsburgh when they take a Zumba class."
That's exactly what creators were aiming for when they released Zumba (Spanish slang for buzz like a bee or move fast) to the world.
"We say ditch the workout; join the party," says Zumba co-founder and CEO, Alberto Perlman of Hollywood, Fla.
The Growth of Zumba
Zumba was born from an accident. Colombia-born Alberto "Beto" Perez was teaching an aerobics class in his native Cali in 1986 and discovered he had forgotten his usual music. So he dug through his bag of tapes and grabbed a mix of salsa and meringue music he personally liked to dance to.
"I just said, 'Class today is different,'" says Perez, 37, who was also a dance instructor. "Everybody loved it."
Zumba's success grew steadily after Perez moved first to Bogota, Colombia and later to Miami. In 1999, Perlman and entrepreneur Alberto Aghion approached Perez about taking Zumba to the mass market. The three began selling DVDs via infomercial in 2002 and were very successful, but enthusiasts demanded more.
"The crazy thing was we were getting all these people from all around the country who bought these videos and wanted to teach it," says Perlman.
In 2005, Perez, Perlman, and Aghion developed an educational division, wrote a training manual, and began offering Zumba workshops to those interested in teaching.
Today, there are an estimated 4 million Zumba enthusiasts and 25,000 instructors in 40 countries, according to Perlman. And Zumba executives continue to feed the frenzy. The brand also offers music and choreography; a clothing line; Zumba Gold classes, geared to seniors; Zumba Toning, a sculpting class using weighted sticks that sound like maracas; and ZumbAtomic, a program for kids aged 5 to 12.
No Complex Choreography
Barring any doctor's limitations, says Perlman, Zumba is safe for a range of ages and fitness levels because the steps can be modified so that it's very low-impact. And all you need are a good pair of dance shoes or cross-trainers.Part of Zumba's appeal is its simplicity, says Perlman. Teachers are encouraged to forego complex cueing, and just let the students feel the music, he says.
"Other classes do complicated choreography. ... You need to pay attention," he says. "Zumba uses four or five steps in one given song and you keep repeating."
Sometimes, says Perez, people even forget they're in a fitness class.
"It's incredibly upbeat," says 39-year-old Jennifer Brooks, of Pittsburgh. "It's like going out with the girls dancing."
"I've never smiled more in an exercise class," says Pittsburgh's Deb Bogan, 59. "I laugh out loud, I sing."
And, Bogan says, she's not alone in feeling that way: "When I look around at the faces of these middle-aged to older adults, their faces are like the faces of children on the playground."
Benefits of Zumba Exercise
Zumba lovers credit the dance craze with freer inhibitions, sharper minds -- and tighter abs.
"It changes your body better than body sculpting," says McCalister. "Since I've started teaching Zumba, I've lost inches. My body has slimmed down. I've had to replace all my fitness clothes."
Though Bogan says she's always been a "gym rat," she admits to being uncoordinated. "I never had great balance," but since practicing Zumba, she says, "I can stand on one foot as long as I need to."
Bogan says learning the new dances is great mental exercise, as well: "I'd rather do this than Suduko."
Exercise physiologist Nicole Gunning invites a Zumba instructor monthly to teach her Adventure Boot Camp students in Morris County, N.J.
As with any cardiovascular workout, says Gunning, the benefits of Zumba can include calorie burn, increased aerobic threshold, more stamina, increased bone density, improved balance and muscle tone, less body fat, and lower blood pressure.
"It's a decent cardio workout as long as you're OK with letting yourself go," says Gunning. "You have to be uninhibited to get the most benefit out of the workout."
Perez says Zumba fanatics come for more than the calorie burn, however.
"Zumba is more of a philosophy," says Perez. "Sometimes people go for therapy, sometimes they go for social connections, sometimes they love to dance and there's no time. Zumba is the perfect excuse."
Source: webmd.com
Monday, January 24, 2011
Party Yourself into Shape for our 28 Day Challenge!
When participants see a Zumba class in action, they can’t wait to give it a try. Zumba classes feature exotic rhythms set to high-energy Latin and international beats. Before participants know it, they’re getting fit and their energy levels are soaring! There’s no other fitness class like a Zumba Fitness-Party. It’s easy to do, effective and totally exhilarating, often building a deep-rooted community among returning students.
Did you know you can burn up 500 to 800 calories during an hour-long Zumba class? If you enjoy high energy, motivating music, and like to try unique moves and combinations, Zumba may be your ticket to fitness.
Drop in rates are $10 a class or you can purchase 10 for $90. There is 12-person limit per class for ultimate instructional experience, so make sure you sign up!
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