After not exercising for the past two months, I decided it was time to jump back into the workout scene last week. I’ve never enjoyed working out, but friends have told me to embrace my love of dance and use that as a way to stay in shape.
The Pennington Student Activity Center, affectionately known as “the Rec,” offers a variety of Group-X free fitness classes during the week, so a co-worker and I decided to attend a Zumba class. For those of you who don’t know, Zumba is a dance-styled workout class, combining fitness and fun. The instructor Maria Miano began the class by telling us about the different dance styles we would be dancing: Latin, belly dancing, salsa, etc. We did pretty much anything with lots of hip movement, even the “Wobble” in one class.
The class was full, and it was nice to see the variety of body shapes and sizes in the room. Zumba might be a workout, but it’s something anyone can get into.
I thought it was great when the instructor said, “Like I always say, if you can walk, you can dance.”
Dancing can be more than just a form of entertainment. It offers everyone a great outlet for creativity, letting loose, relaxing and getting in shape.
According to “Let’s Dance to Health” on the AARP website, dancing is an extremely beneficial workout. Among the benefits are strengthening your bones and muscles without hurting your joints, toning your entire body, improving your posture and balance, which can prevent falls, increasing your stamina and flexibility, reducing stress and tension and warding off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis and depression. In addition, dancing helps build confidence and provides opportunities to meet people with similar skills and interests.
Although Zumba is usually an all-female class, I imagine men could pull it off if they wanted to attempt it. For those who aren’t into dance workouts, there are other classes including Yoga, Tai Chi, Hula Hooping and Body Burn, to name a few. For a full list of Group X fitness courses offered at the Rec this semester, go to the Pennington and ask for the schedule at the front desk.
Most workout classes are free, last about an hour and offer different fun ways to both entertain yourself and get your body in shape. I would encourage everyone to find a class they enjoy and stick to it or even take several classes.
It hurts your body more to never work out than it does to try a new form of exercise. Now that I’ve gone to Zumba a few times, I’ve determined that no matter how I’m feeling, a workout can’t possibly hurt. If anything, I feel even better after a great class, so I’d advise everyone to find a way to enjoy working out. Our bodies will thank us later.