Zumba & Weight Loss

Zumba's popularity exploded in 2010, surpassing the 10 million participant mark. According to Zumba Fitness, more than 90,000 locations in 110 countries offer certified Zumba instruction. Part dance, part aerobic exercise, Zumba provides not only a dance-based exercise, but a calorie-burning activity to help you shed unwanted weight. Check with your doctor before trying new exercises.

Basics

According to Zumba Fitness, Alberto Perez developed the exercise regimen by accident. Perez realized when he arrived at an aerobics class he was to teach that he forgot his music. Instead, he cobbled together a mix of salsa and merengue. From that point, he focused on this new practice of letting the beat of the music drive the exercise, not the repetitions. Perez brought this style of exercise to Miami from his native Colombia in 2001, where he teamed with two other countrymen to introduce Zumba to America.

Types of Zumba

Zumba Fitness offers six separate programs. Perez's Zumba dance-exercise hybrid sessions are known as Zumba Fitness Parties. Zumba Gold is a less-intense version aimed at baby boomers. Zumba Toning incorporates special equipment to mix the cardiovascular exercise with strength training. Aqua Zumba takes to the pool for a toning, heart-healthy water aerobic exercise. Zumba in the Circuit combines the dance-exercise routine with circuit training. Zumbatomic brings the original Zumba class down to the child's level with sessions designed for ages four to 12.

Zumba and Interval Training

Zumba mixes slower rhythms with fast, more intense bursts of energy. This interval training increases not only your cardiovascular and muscular fitness and stamina, but also your ability to burn calories.

Zumba and Weight Loss

Zumba combines high-impact aerobics with Latin dance. According to Harvard Health Publications, a one-hour high-impact aerobics class can help a 155-lb. adult burn 520 calories. In his book, Perez writes that taking a Zumba class two to four times each week for three weeks, combined with a high-fiber, low-fat diet, can lead to 5 to 10 lbs. of weight loss during that period.