Let’s look at another fun way to improve our fitness. Dancing to a Latin beat sounds like a great candidate, but I had wondered how effective Zumba is for weight maintenance and improving our health in general. Turns out that it’s an extremely good way to rev up our activity level and improve fitness. Keep reading to learn more – but don’t forget to check with your doctor to see if Zumba is right for you.
Before embarking on any new fitness activity, check with your medical provider to see if it’s a good fit for you!
First of all, you may be wondering what Zumba actually is. It’s a Latin-inspired workout that combines dancing with a fun and upbeat rhythm. Rather than concentrating directly on exact steps, participants are invited to be a little more free spirited (1). Zumba was created in the 1990s in Columbia by a trainer named Alberto “Beto” Pérez (1). The timing is not surprising because in some ways it reminds me of the old aerobic dance classes I took in the 1980s. But Zumba is a bit different, not just in its steps and music, but also because it is trademarked. In general, only trained instructors teach these classes.
Now let’s look at the results you can expect if you actively participate in Zumba classes regularly. (Notice the emphasis on actively. Many of the dance moves can be done with less energy, so it’s reasonable to assume you won’t get all the benefits if you don’t fully participate, assuming that you’re able!)
- In a 8 week study of Zumba done using a DVD at home, “positive changes in maximal aerobic fitness as well as psychological benefits, including a higher self-perception of physical strength and muscular development, greater autonomy and purpose in life” were observed in the participating subjects as compared to the control group (2).
- An interesting study entitled Zumba®: Is the “Fitness-Party” a Good Workout? definitely found that Zumba is an excellent workout (3). In this study, participants burnt an average of 9.5 calories per minute during a 39 minute workout. Average heart rates were in a range that promotes cardiovascular fitness. (As always, what you get out of an exercise will be in proportion to what you put into it.)
- There seem to be many studies which show that your cardio respiratory fitness will improve by participating in Zumba classes (4). Studies use a statistic called maximum oxygen consumption (VO2peak), which is your peak oxygen uptake during exercise. So your cardio health will likely improve. However, there are fewer studies showing a statistically significant relationship between Zumba and fat mass (4).
- I did locate a study showing that Zumba can lead to a loss of body fat, but not body weight (5). Researchers found that the subjects participating in Zumba consumed more fat and slept more than the control subjects. “After compiling the effect of dietary intake, physical activity, and sleep, we found that fat intake during Zumba training was an important determinant of weight changes” (5). This leads me to believe that we must be cautious not to increase our food intake if we are hoping to lose additional weight through Zumba, or likely any exercise.
- The study entitled Zumba® Dance Improves Health in Overweight/Obese or Type 2 Disbetic Women found a different result. As with the other studies, measures of physical fitness improved. However, these researchers also found reductions in weight and body fat percentage (6). The researchers noted that program compliance was greater among participants who had a diabetes diagnosis. This may possibly point to the importance of an individual’s motivation and seriousness in making a change in their health.
We can see that there is great consensus that Zumba can improve your fitness and health. There is some disagreement about weight loss with Zumba programs, but I believe that if we are careful not to increase our food consumption, we can use this exercise to maintain or even lose weight.
I just took my first Zumba class at my local gym, ESPORTA, formerly known as LA Fitness. It was a fun activity and I like that it engages your mind as well as your body. Have you tried Zumba? Can you recommend other types of fitness classes?
(1). https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/zumba-what-it-is-health-benefits-and-getting-started/
(3). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737860/#__ffn_sectitle
Maintain Weight Loss 