This is week two of my Fresh Start. A new year, new me and all that jazz. Well, as I admitted yesterday, my eating habits have been less than exemplar and the exercising did not commence until yesterday. But I have to say I am truly ecstatic about my procurement of Zumba Fitness for the Wii thanks to the good folks at Walmart. They are supporting my fitness journey and I knew if I wanted to get off my butt I needed to add some new fitness equipment to my arsenal!
I love Zumba! Basically, Zumba is dancing to Latin and International music like calypso, salsa, merengue, bellydancing and African influences. The beat keeps you moving and honestly, it doesn’t feel like exercise at all. Zumba classes are held all over the country, the first time I did Zumba I participated in a 2 hour marathon fundraiser for Haiti. I haven't been able to find a class close to me so Zumba for the Wii is a lifesaver. At this point in my journey I need a bit of a jump start and dancing is exercise that I can do all day long!
Last night I tried out Zumba Fitness for the Wii and I danced for 40 minutes. Not only did I dance for 40 minutes or so but I also burned a whopping 435 calories! Here is a video of my experience, I didn’t have anyone to record me doing the dance moves but I do give you a bird’s eye view of the game and my son dancing too!
I love Zumba! Basically, Zumba is dancing to Latin and International music like calypso, salsa, merengue, bellydancing and African influences. The beat keeps you moving and honestly, it doesn’t feel like exercise at all. Zumba classes are held all over the country, the first time I did Zumba I participated in a 2 hour marathon fundraiser for Haiti. I haven't been able to find a class close to me so Zumba for the Wii is a lifesaver. At this point in my journey I need a bit of a jump start and dancing is exercise that I can do all day long!
Last night I tried out Zumba Fitness for the Wii and I danced for 40 minutes. Not only did I dance for 40 minutes or so but I also burned a whopping 435 calories! Here is a video of my experience, I didn’t have anyone to record me doing the dance moves but I do give you a bird’s eye view of the game and my son dancing too!
At the start of the game you set up your own profile and choose the difficulty level - beginner, intermediate or difficult. I started on medium and took off running. There are tutorials for the dance moves but I didn’t bother with them because I pick up steps quickly and I wanted to get on with the exercising before I lost my motivation! I used Dance Party but there are classes too which I haven’t tried. Everyone starts on beginner level - I am assuming this refers to the difficulty of the routines because my intensity was on intermediate. I only had beginner level 1 and 2 available and I did both for a total 40 minute workout. You start with a 3 minute warm-up and then progress and dance to about 4 more songs. To play you simply wear the included belt that holds the Wii controller and you start to dance. When you get the dance moves correct the instructor turns green.
You earn points for the time that the instructor is green and move up to different stages. Honestly, that wasn’t important to me because I knew I was moving my body and the Wii controller can be finicky. I used my own heart rate monitor to keep track of my calorie burn which was important to me. If you don’t have one you can pick up an inexpensive one for under $30 at Walmart. I find this to be more helpful for me than gaining points or worrying about being green. I just have fun and know I’m burning crazy calories.
The music is amazing and I love the bellydance cool down at the end of each 20 minute session. It is my hope that as I unlock new dances that the workouts are longer but honestly I didn’t mind warming up and cooling down. According to the box there are 30 different workouts that get progressively more difficult and the final level is with Bento the creator of Zumba. I am going to have a good time trying to get to the final level! II highly recommend Zumba Fitness for the Wii, it is also available for XBOX 360 and XBOX KINECT.
If you are not a fan of traditional fitness workouts, Zumba is made just for you! I am honestly not ready to hit it hard with calestetic like exercises so Zumba is perfect as I get myself back into workout mode!
Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share my journey to healthier living with you as part of the Fresh Start Challenge. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.
