11 SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS OF ZUMBA

Zumba is a workout that combines principles from aerobic exercises and salsa dancing. Many benefits are associated with this type of workout, including improved mood and quality of life, maintaining a healthy weight and metabolism, and increasing the pain threshold.

This article explains all the health benefits of Zumba and who should avoid the class unless approved by a healthcare provider.

How Does Zumba Work?

Zumba is a combinational class exercise done in groups. It combines the high-level activity of both dance and aerobics to create a fun and effective workout class. The instructor choreographs each move as music plays in the background.

The class begins with a slower tempo to warm up the muscles before introducing more lively and faster beats that increase in intensity as the class progresses. The exercise is wrapped up with lower-intensity recovery movements to cool the body down.

How Often Should You Do Zumba?

You can do a Zumba class as often as you’d like, but even just one class per week can help improve your overall fitness level. It’s generally recommended that adults get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, which can be achieved through three one-hour classes.

11 Zumba Benefits

Zumba provides many health benefits because of the type of exercise it is and because it is done in groups, creating a sense of community. The benefits include:

Full-Body Workout

Zumba is a full-body workout. The combination of aerobics and salsa dancing choreographed by the instructor is done meticulously. This guarantees that most, if not all, muscle groups will be targeted during the workout.

Burns Calories and Fat

Aerobic exercises and dancing are great for burning calories and fat, making Zumba an excellent exercise if you want to maintain or lose weight. Research on the effectiveness of Zumba has found that participants burn an average of 360 calories per class.

Related: 8 High-Impact Exercises

Builds Endurance

Your endurance is dependent on two things: heart health and muscular health. Since Zumba helps in both areas, it can increase endurance in those who attend classes regularly.

One study examined participants in a 12-week Zumba class program to assess their heart rate and systolic blood pressure, both health parameters that play a role in endurance. The results showed that those who completed the program were able to decrease both heart rate and blood pressure, leading to increased endurance.

Improves Cardiovascular Fitness

Cardiovascular fitness benefits greatly from regular exercise. While other forms of exercise, such as jogging, walking, and swimming, can all help improve your cardiovascular fitness, Zumba is another option that makes working out more fun.

People who want to improve their cardiovascular health should aim for between 64% and 94% of their maximum heart rate and 40% to 85% of their maximum volume of oxygen. An older study from 2012 showed that Zumba can help you reach both goals, with maximum heart rates of around 79% and maximum volume of oxygen sitting at 66% after one Zumba class.

Zumba vs. Other Aerobic Exercises

If you want to improve your cardiovascular fitness, doing any aerobic exercise that helps you hit the above-mentioned numbers will get you there. That said, Zumba also provides many other benefits and can be more enjoyable than typical cardio workouts.

Decreases Blood Pressure

Having high blood pressure (hypertension) can drive heart disease and other adverse health complications. Research shows that Zumba can decrease overall blood pressure in as little as 17 classes over a 12-week period.

May Increase Your Pain Threshold

Chronic pain is a highly prevalent ailment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 50 million U.S. adults experience chronic pain.

Research on Zumba found that, after a 12-week program, participants experienced an overall decrease in pain severity. It also prevented pain from interfering with daily tasks that can often occur due to chronic pain.

Zumba and Chronic Pain Caused by Underlying Health Conditions

It is important to note that results may vary regarding pain relief, and Zumba is not a chronic pain treatment. If you have chronic pain because of a health condition, you should always speak to a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine.

Assists in Metabolic Health

Because of the way Zumba targets many muscle groups simultaneously, it can help build and maintain lean muscle.

The more lean muscle your body has, the better your metabolic health will be. Improving your muscle mass will also help reduce your risk of developing various metabolic disorders due to low skeletal muscle mass.

Improves Mood

All types of exercise are shown to improve mood, and Zumba is no different. Research shows that engaging in regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of developing depression by as much as 26%.

How Does Exercise Improve Mood?

Doing aerobic exercises, such as Zumba, can impact mood because these movements, when done regularly, help to regulate the stress response in the body.

Improves Cognition

Brain health can also benefit from Zumba exercises. Research shows that when people engage in regular aerobic exercises that get the heart pumping and the body moving, even if for a short time each day, executive function (a set of cognitive processes, or mental skills) is improved.

The cognitive processes that benefit from Zumba exercise the most are:

Attention span
Working memory
Problem-solving
Cognitive flexibility
Verbal fluency
Decision making
Inhibitory control

Offers a Way to Socialize

Many exercises are done solo, but Zumba is performed in a group setting unless you opt in through at-home classes. This helps people socialize more with like-minded individuals, creating a sense of belonging and community.

Other Ways Group Exercise is Beneficial

According to research, group exercises can benefit a person in various ways, including:

Achieving balanced physical and mental health
Encouraging and improving social connections
Creating a group of mutually supportive people with similar goals
Improves a person’s ability to maintain a routine that helps with sleeping patterns

Helps Improve Your Quality of Life

Quality of life revolves around several factors, including physical, mental health, and social connections. Since Zumba works to improve several of these markers, it can improve your overall quality of life when practiced regularly.

Who Could Benefit From Starting a Zumba Routine?

Anyone looking to incorporate more movement into their lives can benefit from Zumba as long as they don’t have any health conditions preventing them from engaging in high-intensity workouts.

Who Should Avoid Zumba?

People with health conditions that limit their lung and heart capacity should avoid Zumba unless otherwise directed by their healthcare provider.

Other possible scenarios that could prevent you from taking Zumba classes include:

Lower extremity injuries or conditions, such as arthritis
Current pregnancy
Preexisting diseases that prevent a person from doing aerobic or high-intensity exercise

Summary

Zumba is an excellent high-intensity dance workout for all fitness levels. It provides many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving endurance and pain tolerance, and encouraging social interaction.

Almost anyone can enjoy Zumba classes to help achieve their overall health and fitness goals. That said, you should always speak to a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have a chronic disease that affects your lungs and heart.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.

2024-07-23T15:59:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd