What’s the problem with Zumba?
Zumba! Boy does it get a bad rap at times! I often see charged up Facebook statuses or blog posts slating this fitness class to pieces! “It’s pointless…..there are much better classes out there….you are wasting your time doing Zumba…. It will never help you lose weight…. It’s not ‘proper’ exercise….” are just some of the comments I hear regularly.
Usually when I hear stuff like this, it’s like water off a ducks back! You get used to the ranting and raving between fitness experts… the arguments for and against different training methods, programs and products…. but then there’s this phrase that I hear that really, really annoys me…
“Zumba will not get you results.”
Why does it annoy me more than others?! Not everyone is training for the same results, not everyone has the same goal, not everyone is training for aesthetics, not everyone is aiming for a bikini body, not everyone is obsessed about getting ‘shredded’ ….. Who are we to try and define someone else’s idea of results?
I teach Zumba, I love it and it’s one of the most popular classes I teach. It’s fun, we sweat, we laugh, we move, we make idiots of ourselves, we don’t care if we look stupid! Is it the most effective class for fat loss? Nope. Is it the fastest and most effective way to train to get lean? Nope, but it’s a fantastic workout! Are people going to make considerable strength gains? No not really. Is it going to get results? Now there’s a question!
Denise got results. She was overweight, had diabetes and her heart health was hugely at risk. She knew she needed to do something and desperately wanted to make a start. She was terrified of going to the gym or joining in with the circuit class at her local church hall. Then she stumbled across a Zumba DVD and began to do it 3 times a week in her living room. She loved the music and found it very motivating. She didn’t need any expensive equipment , just a pair of trainers and a decent sports bra (very important lol) and away she went. When the weight started coming off, she felt inspired to make changes to her diet too. After losing a stone, Denise kept thinking about how much she’d love to go to a real live Zumba class and eventually she plucked up the courage to attend. She has never looked back. Good results? Totally!
Karen got results. She had just got out of an abusive relationship and found refuge in a local hostel for women and children. She took months to finally gain the courage to go out on her own. Her support workers had told her about the Zumba class in the area and brought her along to give it a go. The transformation was insane! She went from being this shy, defeated, terrified woman in the corner to a smiley, bubbly, confident lady who brought a whole new ‘social aspect’ to our class. “ It’s given me my life back, it’s my hour of the week where I can let my hair down and breathe. ..and I’ve made friends for life” she said. Good results? I certainly think so!
Zumba has played its part in something incredible. It’s got people moving. It’s got people exercising. It’s got people off the couch! People like Denise and Karen who would never have gone along to a gym or a spinning class.
Some may say… “well you’re a hypocrite Judith… you lift weights regularly!” Yes I do.. lifting is gooooood and I LOVE it! All of my personal training clients lift weights… I am FOR weight training… But we need to stop putting everyone in the same box!
Criticisers, let’s just celebrate the fact that people are moving, doing something! Something they enjoy so much that they keep on showing up and they are exercising more than they were before…. surely that’s an amazing thing right?
KEEP DANCING!