Zumba- workout or dance?

With the new dance craze sweeping the country, all thanks to reality tv shows such as Dancing with the Stars, it has infected everything from individuals to exercise. Zumba, although in existence before the dance craze began, has spiked in popularity and interest.

Zumba is a cardio fitness class usually hosted at a gym or physical fitness center that incorporates dance moves into a fast paced fitness routine. Should you be familiar with this Latin types of dance you will notice as the instructor goes through the steps that most of the moves are based out of Salsa, Merengue or even Cha Cha.

The classes incorporate Latin and International music to help generate a high-octane beat so that participants aren't bored or unenthusiastic about joining in and lasting through the class.

As of July 2009 it was reported to be taught in more than 50,000 locations in more than 75 countries.

While you may have heard of this program before, maybe you didn't know it, but it was created by accident.

Celebrity "Beto" Perez was preparing to teach a fitness class in his native town of Cali, Colombia, and realized that he forgot his music. He grabbed his tapes from his backpack and voila! Zumba was born.

Since the discovery of Zumba in 1998, there are now several different difficulty levels, a senior's gold program, an aquatics session, as well as a toning and kids Zumba program.

Even if your local gym or fitness center doesn't offer this course, Zumba now has a set of instructional DVD's that you can use at home.

I personally love these classes just because I use the Latin dances that I know and get a great cardio workout at the same time. Even if you don't know Latin dance, it can be a great way to familiarize yourself and get ready for the high speed dances of the Latin community with a cardio workout.