Published by Time Health
​
Zumba was born in Colombia in the 1990s, quite by accident. A fitness instructor forgot to bring his usual workout music to class, so he grabbed some Latin albums from his car, ditched the constraints of a traditional workout and danced just like he would at a club. His class followed along, sweating to the salsa and rumba beats, and loving it.
Since then, Zumba has pitched itself as more of a party than a workout. Indeed, some research suggests it may be the very best workout for people who hate to exercise.
A Zumba class is like any other instructor-led workout, but with simple dance moves heavy on the hips and step counts. Those moves add up to a decent sweat, says John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. He and his colleagues analyzed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a 40-minute class burns about 370 calories, a little more than nine calories per minute. That’s roughly the same amount you’d work off if you ran at a slow-ish pace or biked at 15 miles per hour for the same amount of time.
People worked hard in the class, too. “We found that they exercised at about 80% of maximum heart rate, and 60% V02 max,” which is a measure of oxygen used during exercise, he says. “We found it’s a pretty good workout—similar to moderately intense exercises like step aerobics or cardio kickboxing.”
newsletter

But the most impressive part of Zumba is how much it appeals to people who stay away from exercise. A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that when women with type 2 diabetes and obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 2.5 pounds and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%. More importantly, the women enjoyed the class so much that they made it a habit—very unusual for an aerobic exercise program. “After the study had ended, most the participants continued going,” says study coauthor Jamie Cooper, an associate professor at the University of Georgia. “It seems like most of them had fun, made friends and didn’t see Zumba as hard work."

The workout-in-disguise has unique physical and mental health benefits. Another study linked Zumba’s hip-swinging, stomach-gyrating movements to increased core and trunk strength and better balance in older overweight women. After just eight weeks, the women’s quality-of-life scores jumped 9% and their self-esteem increased 16%. A related study on Zumba’s psychological benefits found that people who practice it feel more independent and said that their lives seemed more purposeful.
It’s not hard to see why the activity would be invigorating and freeing. “You have to let go and have fun during Zumba,” Cooper says. Just as some people with anxiety take improv classes to relieve their social skittishness, dancing around other people may help Zumba-goers feel less shy or self-conscious about their bodies.
The workout may be especially helpful for older adults who can't run or do more intense workouts (or for those who don't want to). One 2015 study found that even scaled-back versions of Zumba can help older adults keep up their cardiovascular fitness. More broadly, plenty of evidence suggests that dancing can help seniors maintain balance and coordination, lowering their risk for falls.Zumba is never going to compete with workouts like CrossFit or high-intensity interval training when it comes to physical fitness gains. “But not everyone is the type to sign up for CrossFit,” Cooper says. “There’s still a place for Zumba, because people really enjoy it.”

I describe myself as an ‘athlete with the biggest smile’, but truthfully it can sometimes be hard to maintain when you’ve had as many ups and downs as I have in my career. I still stand by it though, because you just have to stay positive through adversity. On the world stage, you have to be able to pick yourself up when you fall down. You learn to get over hurdles - the ones that life throws at you, as well as the ones on the track.





​Image (c) Scott Heavey / STRONG by Zumba
One of the biggest hurdles was getting over the knee injury that I sustained at the 2013 World Championships. I was running really well all season, had become double European indoor Champion and won my semi-final so was feeling confident that I would at very least get a medal, pushing for the gold. Injury struck in the final so it wasn’t to be - and it has been a long process getting back to full fitness, but I’m a fighter and was determined to compete for my country again.
With determination comes training - and to keep it varied I particularly enjoy group training sessions - I just feed off the positive energy of other people. I’ve always had my coach and my family, but in my sport it can still be motivating to feel part of a ‘team’. We’re not known as Team GB for nothing!

I also find that, when I really need to concentrate and block out external environments, nothing beats listening to music when training to get you motivated and that’s a key aspect for me. I’m a big fan of hip hop and grime music and always put headphones in when I’m prepping for a race - it takes my mind off of the stress - music is really empowering in that respect and is key to any training I do.
Music also gives me that extra boost to push me through the pain barrier. I read somewhere recently that studies actually show that moving in sync with music when you’re working out allows the body to use energy more efficiently, as well as distract people from pain and fatigue, elevate mood, increase endurance and promote metabolic efficiency. So if you’re to take any piece of advice from my first blog post on the HuffPost, it’s to set yourself up with a playlist before you start to workout. It will keep your momentum up and you’ll see more of an impact on your durability.

In general, I think what I’d say to anyone who feels pushed to their fitness limits, or is experiencing a fitness barrier, is to stay strong! Pain is short-lived, but the joy of beating your fears or overcoming obstacles will remain with you for long time. That’s what I’ve learnt to do and I’m a much better athlete for it.
STRONG by Zumba® has teamed up with Team GB athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton and Made in Chelsea star and personal trainer Ryan Libbey to launch the new fitness concept in the UK

Tip #5 for your New Year's Resolution


Embrace The Music
Since the best part of your previous fitness regimens was probably the music, you’ll be glad to know that in a Zumba® class, it’s still all about that bass, as Meighan Trainor would say.