Zumba and Group Fitness Classes

Who LOVES Zumba?! I do! In case you don't know, Zumba is a Latin-based fitness/dance class that incorporates salsa, merengue, hip-hop, etc. The best part is that you get to shake your booty (and your core) for an entire hour.

You don't have to be a good dancer to do Zumba. It is for people of all ages and stages (there are usually low-impact and high-impact options to accommodate different fitness levels).

I discovered Zumba during my freshmen year at the University of Puget Sound (5 years ago now). At first, I was one of 5 other women who regularly attended the class. Soon enough, Zumba started catching on. Other college students (who managed to squeeze it into their busy schedules) started coming, along with more working adults. I adored Zumba class and I chose to go to Zumba over many other activities (including meetings at my sorority). 

The importance of Zumba was more than just a workout for me. Zumba (and other group fitness classes) becomes a community. I would go with my best friend, and we would invite others to join. It was such an awesome way to take a break from studying and shake a little energy out.

Because I like to talk about low-budget health (hence the blog name), I want to mention my philosophy about paying for fitness. There are times when I believe it is worthwhile to spend a little bit of money on fitness. For example, Zumba classes are usually $5.00 to $10.00 per class. That being said, if you go twice a week for an entire semester (16 weeks or so), that could potentially be 32 classes. 32 times $5 equals $160.00

$160.00 is a lot of money. Or, it's not, depending on how you value your money. Think about how easy it is to spend close to this amount on a quick trip to Target. If you're like me, you end up picking up random stuff that is ultimately wasteful and expensive. Or, think about the time you went out for multiple birthday parties and dropped $50.00 a night for a few nights during a week. Money is relative. If something is important to you, like Zumba is for me, then you will spend your money on it, no matter what.

As they say, "Better to pay the grocer than the doctor." The same is true for fitness: "Better to pay the Zumba teacher (or someone else) than the doctor who will later treat you for health-related problems."

If you enjoy other forms of working out, there are many things you can do for free (minus the cost of equipment). I enjoy these things as well, and I will explore them in future blogs (i.e. hiking, walking, running, etc). 

One last thing- the reason I mention Zumba is because I just discovered a Zumba class on my new campus. I went last night and it was a blast! I can already tell that it will connect me to others and keep me grounded in what I love to do. AND, I still got all my homework done. :) Look for Zumba classes at university gyms- they usually offer a class for students and non students.

Thanks!
Dana

This is one example of a Zumba class. There are hundreds of others you can find online. If there is not a gym near you, you can always do it in the comfort of your own home.