If you’re interested in dance and fitness, you can make a career in Zumba. More Indians are learning about the dance form ‘Zumba’ and its sort of a craze among fitness freaks. After all, it’s a fun way to shed those extra kilos and lead a healthier life.
Zumba Dance for Fitness: Fun Way to Lose Calories
Zumba is one of the most effective and exhilarating way of burning extra calories which involves a combination of body-sculpting movements with easy-to-follow dance steps.
Its an aerobic dance fitness routine, usually set to South American beats, and is popular right from Miami to Mumbai. People like Zumba because you not only get to experience a great workout, it makes you happier as well at the end of the session, besides making some good friends along the way.
There are many who call a Zumba class their “happy hour” 🙂
At its core, Zumba is a high-tempo aerobic activity coupled with interval training. Each Zumba class starts and ends with the standard warming and cooling exercises though.
The core movement is dance with the use of Latin music, a little English. In India, instructors use one Bollywood dance as well.
Aspiring Fitness instructors can get trained in Zumba gold (for those aged 50 years and above or those with injuries), Zumba Kids and Aqua Zumba (which is done in water), and Zumba steps (done using steps).
The word ‘Zumba’ has no meaning as such, the people who patented this form of exercise made up the word because it sounded catchy. “We zeroed in on the word ‘Zumba’ after going through the alphabet since ‘rumba’, our original pick, was already trademarked,” says Alberto ‘Beto’ Perez (founder of Zumba dance form).
Today, various other forms of Zumba are gaining popularity, such as Aqua Zumba and Zumba Toning. Zumba kids is yet another form which will become a favourite soon.
All the rhythms that are practiced in a Zumba class require you to fully utilize your entire body; the more vigorous the movements, the better the results. Zumba not only incorporates lunges and squats, but also a lot of hand and core movements. So it provides a good mix of strength training and cardio!
Here’s how it helps you:
- Its a HUGE CALORIE BURNER & is excellent for toning your body
- It takes the ‘WORK’ out of the ‘WORKING-OUT’
- It works for people of all AGES
- It involves dancing as well, so its a great STRESS-BUSTER & you feel HAPPY
- Its a great way to get SOCIAL
Based on various factors such as body weight, gender, fitness level and other physical factors, you can easily burn up to 400 to 600 calories per hour.
By the end of a session, your core, glutes, arms and hamstrings will be sore.
In more vigorous Zumba sessions, you can burn up to 800 to 1,000 calories in a one-hour class, depending on the intensity at which you exercise.
“Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance form that mixes fun with fitness. One burns between 500-800 calories per class. This helps in weight loss. Besides this, Zumba also helps in relieving stress,” Shwetambari Shetty (Zumba fitness coach)
Equipment / Accessories Needed for Zumba?
- Wear a comfortable fitness attire that can handle sweat well, and lets you move easily
- Wear comfortable sneakers that are suited for dance movement — side-to-side movements and pivots besides the normal front-to-back movement. Good shoes can include cross trainers, running shoes or dance sneakers should be fine.
- Get water to keep yourself dehydrated and towel to wipe your sweat.
Additional accessories that you may require:
- Zumba Toning Sticks: These look like small dumbbells but they are not; these are filled with sand and are easier to shake and rock, during your routine. 2.5-pound Zumba Toning Sticks are commonly used during Zumba workouts.
- Zumba Step/Riser Sets: These are step platforms that are also commonly used in Zumba workouts.
Zumba dance form is gaining popularity worldwide (and in India as well), among people of all age groups, especially the youth.
Zumba is something that people of all age groups can do.
There are different categories of Zumba that require different fitness levels, which makes it suitable for all age groups.
There are ‘Zumba for kids‘ sessions that focus on kids aged 4-6 years, and those between 7-11. Kids who are 12 years or above, can do normal Zumba.
Even seniors can do Zumba; Zumba sessions for seniors have lower intensity compared to the normal Zumba.
You just need to keep it simple and have things in MODERATION. Try to eat the right quantity and at the right time, focus on the quality of the food as well.
You may also take the help of a nutritionist.
However, generally speaking, one should eat a big banana or an apple, 30 minutes before the class. After the class, one should eat something like paneer or egg to get proteins.
How to Start a Zumba Studio
A Zumba studio is where patrons will come to exercise, workout, all while dancing to music. Its basically a group class where clients follow the instructors movements to Latin music for a fun cardio workout.
Here are certain factors to keep in mind, if you want to make your Zumba studio profitable. Like most other fitness businesses, you will need a good location, competitive pricing and accessible hours.
Location: The best location for a Zumba studio is one that is easily accessed by students, homemakers and business workers alike. If you could afford, choose a studio that has a window facing the main road so that people passing by can see the fun and get encouraged to sign up.
Experienced Instructors
You will need experienced Zumba instructors who can get the crowd moving. Its best if you do a Zumba instructor course before becoming an instructor (in case you plan to be a one-man show) or hire professionally trained instructors (certified Zumba instructors).
In terms of skills, you will need to know the steps, select the right music, not be afraid to speak to large groups and be able to perform all Zumba moves with ease and for extended periods of time.
Sound System
You will need a nice sound system that can be heard throughout the entire class. Consider investing in a sound system with a wireless microphone so that you can vocally guide your class (if need be).
Have the right playlist
While there is no hard-and-fast rule as to what music you should play, most Zumba instructors play around 70 percent Latin music and 30 percent modern music. Most instructors nowadays incorporate Bollywood music as well in to the mix.
Business Licenses
Make sure you obtain the appropriate licenses/permits to operate your business. If you plan to sell snacks, such as salads, small sandwiches or homemade smoothies, you may need a health inspection certificate.
CPR Certification
If you could, get at least one employee to become CPR-certified to deal with emergencies like heart attack or stroke (until emergency responders arrive).
Promotional Materials
Food stores, gyms and doctor clinics provide lots of possible Zumba clients. You can leave brochures about your studio at such places (after taking their permission). If they object, try offering a free class to their staff members.
Useful Links
Zumba Fitness Expert Sucheta Pal’s Inspirational Journey
Famous Zumba fitness trainer Sucheta Pal shares her inspirational journey from being in a stressful 9-to-9 job to becoming a master Zumba fitness trainer, known across Asia for spreading the dance fitness programme.
The ZES (Zumba Education Specialist), who started her career as an electronic engineer was once fighting depression, induced by work-related stress.
I was an average 25-year-old living in Mumbai with a stressful 9 to 9 job – nothing out of the ordinary. I wanted happiness. And my job was doing the opposite of that (a story typical of so many in the corporate world).
Unable to take it any further, Pal quit her job, and set out to pursue what she loved, which was dancing. However, Pal didn’t tell her parents for obvious reasons.
“I went from earning Rs 30,000 to Rs 5,000 from three jobs,” she says. Pal took classes at the Danceworx academy, transcribed cassettes and managed a small fashion house. Working for an NGO, she’d also travel across the city to talk to school principals about the importance of speaking in and teaching English to students. “It wasn’t easy. I’d eat vada paav for meals and travel as cheaply as possible. But it didn’t matter. I was happier, at least.”
I discovered a new-found respect for struggling dancers who use the cheapest means to get to different parts of the city to teach and follow their passion.
“It is not worth being a coward. If you have been given a life, go after it with purpose,” she says, speaking about the can-do attitude that saw her through. “You are a cosmic blink in the universe, don’t take yourself so seriously.”
Coming Face to Face With Zumba in the US
In 2009, Pal and her husband shifted to the US where she discovered Zumba by chance and realised that she had finally found her calling. Sucheta knew that this would propel her to do bigger things.
“The format of the programme matched my principles. It was about inspiring people, about feeling happy,” she says. Once she took to Zumba, Pal didn’t look back. “I was no longer depressed, there were no panic attacks, instead I started feeling confident (especially as I got fitter) and happy.”
Pal didn’t stop at Zumba; she also took other dance workout certification courses, such as Masala Bhangra and Insanity.
#WarriorOfWill Your body can withstand anything it’s the mind that u have to convince. #truegrit #definedbythespirit #willpower #suchetasays pic.twitter.com/qORng6Weeq
— Sucheta Pal (@SuchetaPalZumba) January 29, 2017
“Zumba had already entered India, and people didn’t respond well to the fact that a certified ZES from outside was trying to take over the market,” says Pal.
Although, she was not prepared for the negativity she initially faced, she took it in her stride. This time Sucheta Pal was more confident, knowing that she had been through far worse.
“All I could do was let my work speak for itself.”
Pal finally got her first break at a training session in Pune when a booked instructor from Romania failed to show up after she couldn’t get her visa.
One great thing about fitness programmes like Zumba is that it promotes empowerment.
She cites an example: “Two Gujarati ladies once came for training, and admitted that they had to fight with their husbands to give them the money [Rs 16,000]. When I spoke to them, their first reaction was that of surprise because they didn’t expect me to be as ‘ordinary’ as they were. Now, they are instructors earning their own money. Having observed their journey from start to finish gives me immense satisfaction.”
“There are corporate goers who have quit their full-time jobs to teach Zumba and other fitness programmes. They are earning five times the money they were, and are happy,” she says.
Today, Pal has trained thousands of trainers (in Zumba fitness programme), has countless classes and followers, and features in several television programmes. Pal loves the fact that it isn’t lonely at the top when it comes to the Zumba community.
If you’re nice to people on your way up, you figure out how to network well, you’re never alone.
Once she had her ZES certification, she began making plans to introduce the programme in India upon her return.
In spite of her busy schedule, Pal claims to respond to every message or email within 24 hours. “It’s the value system the programme has imbibed in us. It’s about the community and our students first,” says Sucheta Pal.
“Dance has grown in this country, thanks to visionaries like Shiamak Davar, Ashley Lobo and Remo D’Souza. Television has glamourised it. We have paved the path for ourselves and our children to translate passion into a successful career that gives us bliss instead of just earning money.”
Zumba fitness coach Shwetambari Shetty reflects on her career
Celebrity Zumba fitness coach Shwetambari Shetty talks about how she got started in Zumba, and managed to make a name for herself.
Zumba instructor Shwetambari Shetty loves what she does, and insists that it has been made possible only because of Zumba Fitness. Here’s more about Zumba from Shwetambari Shetty and how to make a career in Zumba fitness.
Shwetambari Shetty came to Bengaluru from Mangalore to work in a bank. It was the “sedentary lifestyle” in bank that made Shwetambari attend a Zumba fitness training class, which changed her life completely.
I was doing a regular bank job. Then, by sheer luck, I took up Zumba. Then, I realised that it is a niche market and the demand is quite high. So I decided to pursue it full-time.
“While working in the bank, I was asked to take care of operations for a new health club. They wanted someone who was not a fitness expert but some one who had the expertise in handling people and operations. Just months after that Zumba came into the country and there was an instructor’s course for which I was compelled to attend as I was young and fit,” says Shwetambari.
That was the beginning of a new career for Shwetambari. From there on-wards, there was no looking back for her. She started with a few students but soon was teaching hundreds of students.
“Dancing has been my passion from childhood. But, when I had to make a career choice, banking was the best option for a commerce graduate. 7 years in the banking world and then I had to risk it. Landed myself a job at a health club and here is where it all happened.
I did Zumba Fitness training and then got certified in Zumba Fitness in 2010 October. In 2011 February, I began my career as a Zumba Fitness Instructor with just One student in class. A year later, I was teaching more than 150 students,” Shwetambari Shetty
Zumba is now a full time business now for Shwetambari. When she met Sudeep Kulkarni and Nikita Suresh, Tribe Fitness Club was born, on 100 Feet Road Indiranagar.
“Bangalore is becoming a fitness hub right now. With years of IT, lives have become sedentary with back problems, RSI and big bellies as we have also become a pub city and everyone likes their drink once a week.”
“We have everything a group exercise format needs – yoga, Pilates, indoor cycling etc. We are not gyms as we are against using traditional machines. But prefer to use group activities and peer pressure to motivate each other.”
Mayuri Wagh fitness mantra: Zumba dance workout
Marathi film actress Mayuri Wagh has been doing Zumba to keep herself fit and she loves her workout. Mayuri says she has lost weight with Zumba and recently shared a small video of her Zumba dance moves.
Mayuri wants to inspire her fans through this video, as she feels being fit and healthy can be fun, and you can get fitter and yet enjoy your workout.
We hope her fans will like her Zumba moves for sure.
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