How to: Zumba Fitness "Moving the World to a New Beat"

Photo credit:
http://www.zumba-karin.moonfruit.com/

USA Today reported that Zumba Fitness was included as one of the top 10 fitness trends for 2012.

I was looking for some varieties for my fitness regimen which is mainly a combination of Billy Blank's Tae Bo and Jillian Michael's with a few sessions of badminton from time to time. Then I happen to came across a video of Zumba. I only tried out the 20-minute Express and I instantly loved it.

Zumba was accidentally created back in the 90s by Alberto "Beto" Perez, a native of Cali, Colombia and an aerobics instructor. One day, he forgot his aerobics music and made do with what he had that time which are salsa and merengue, mix 'em up and allowed the music to direct the moves and his students loved it. From there, a new fitness craze was born -- The Zumba!

With a tagline that says, "Ditch the workout, Join the Party", what could be more catchy than that?

Dancing being my secret love, I say, "Join the party!" Although I'm not ditching the workout entirely because I love it too.

The blending of Latin-inspired dance with the tune of party-popping music makes it all fun and at the same time getting your heart rate pumped up. You move your hands, feet and especially your hips with the beat. Who says fun and getting in shape don't mix?

Take a peak at what Zumba is all about:

And here is Zumba's latest program: The Zumba Exhilarate DVD Experience

Photo credit: www.zumba.com

For women weighing around 110-115 lbs., you can burn approximately 351 calories by doing an hour of Zumba.

How to Lose 10 pounds in 40 Days

Barely two months till 2012 and I am nowhere near my goal weight. If I want to end this year right, I need to lose weight and I need to do it soon. Never mind that I am chomping on a 180-calorie chocolate-filled cookie sandwich while typing these words. Yes, you heard it right. It's a COOKIE SANDWICH -- a cookie I spread with chocolate filling and slapped with another cookie. 

Oh food! But how can I refuse such yummy treats?

Nonetheless, I am on a mission. That cookie was my weekly indulgence before I start kicking my butt again on Monday. I have committed to a twice-a-day 4x-a-week workout regimen and a daily 1300-calorie diet with a cheat day once a week where I can eat whatever I want but in moderation.  

I was scouting the net for some help and I found some very helpful and simple sites that got me started on this project. I'm not sure if this is going to be effective but what better way to find out than try it out myself.  It has been a week since I started and I am glad to report that so far, I have lost 2 lbs. It's not much but it's definitely a good start. 

If you're trying to lose some of the extra baggage too just like me, here's how you can do it...

1. Visit http://www.nowloss.com/

This is a pretty awesome site. You just need to input some numbers like your current weight, age, height and your goal weight. After which, it's going to give you another set of numbers like your daily caloric intake and how to distribute it throughout the day. It also includes some exercise programs that you can try out.

Just go there and you'll see what I mean.

2. Visit http://www.livestrong.com

This is another helpful site. It made life so much easier for me. You can record what you ate for the day and you'll know how much calories you've chowed on already.It's just awesome. A free online food diary to help you reach that perfect weight you've been striving to have.

It even records your sodium intake, protein-fat-carbohydrate percentages for the day.

That's not all. It also lists workout exercises with corresponding calories burned depending on your current weight. For instance, I did 40-minute moderate Tae Bo last Friday morning and it says, I burned 400 calories for doing that. Cool, huh?

3. Visit http://www.billyblanks.com/

Decide what exercise programs you want to stick to. For me, Billy Blanks' Tae Bo workouts were the best among the many I've tried. I sweat like crazy after every workout with Billy and it's fast and fun too.

So, if you want Billy Blanks to teach you how to box and kick then go visit his site and grab his latest Tae Bo workout videos.  

Billy incorporates a combination of cardio and strength on his workouts. It is said that you can burn as much as 700 plus calories by doing an hour of vigorous kicking and boxing.    

I love it and you might too!