Every so often a new fitness craze spreads across the country, and sometimes the world. Zumba is one of those that has been drawing new fans for a number of years. If you are unfamiliar with Zumba, it is a Latin dance-inspired fitness program that began sometime in the 1990s.
A choreographer by the name of Alberto Perez was living in Colombia and created the workout when he was teaching aerobic classes and forgot to bring a tape for the class. He had a couple of tapes in his car and quickly put some music together for the class. It was so popular; he kept working on putting various types of dance and aerobic steps and music together until he was satisfied, then he went public.
What is Zumba?
According to information I found online at Wikipedia, Zumba is a combination of such dance movements as hip-hop, samba, salsa, mambo, martial arts, and belly dance moves as well as other elements.
Perez moved to the United States in 2001 he joined with a couple of other guys. They were able to get their product licensed, marketed, and a line of home videos was created. Now, you can often find Zumba products hawked online.
Is Zumba safe for seniors?
By now you are probably wondering why I am even bringing this up on a website that has to do with elder care and aging seniors. Especially after reading how the dance moves were created – some of the dances listed above are pretty hard-hitting.
Well, I accidently ran across a YouTube video by a woman by the online name of Grandma Shellie.
Grandma Shellie
Grandma Shellie teaches Zumba Gold through the YouTube site, but also has her own website appropriately named grandmashellieteacheszumba.com.
I watched several of her videos and not only was she leading the dance steps, two obviously senior-aged women were back-ups behind her. It sure looked like they were having a great time. There is also at least one video where one of the women is sitting on a chair but still able to move to the music.
Check with your primary care physician before trying any new exercise program
As to whether it is safe for seniors, I must remind everyone I am not an authority on this type of thing. You would have to check with your primary care physician to make sure you were physically able to participate in this type of exercise.
By the looks of the video, you can do the movements only within your own ability. If you needed to stop and rest, that would be okay. Start slowly with simple movements, and increase intensity and strong movements as able.
Zumba will give you a full body workout to hot Latin dance music. It looks like great fun. But, we do not want anyone hurting themselves by participating in something beyond their capacity.
Again, check with your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen. Keep yourself safe, but have a good time if he or she give you the go-ahead!
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