• Enabling Your Passion For Healthy Living
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Sarah Fit

Enabling Your Passion For Healthy Living

  • Sarah Fit
  • Home
  • PARENTING
    • Pregnancy
    • Postpartum
    • Nursing
    • Parenting
  • RECIPES
    • Kid Friendly
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
  • FITNESS
    • Fitness Videos
    • Prenatal Fitness Guide
    • Abs
    • Legs
    • Bodyweight
    • Strength Training
  • LIFESTYLE
    • Beauty
    • FASTer Way
    • Wellness
    • Motherhood
  • TRAVEL
    • All Travel Posts
    • Boston
    • Cape Cod
  • SHOP
    • FASTer Way To Fat Loss
    • Amazon Shop
    • Shop Instagram

Outside My Comfort Zone: Zumba Class

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares

As you know, I love to try new fitness classes. In LA, I took a SoulCycle class the morning after I landed in LA at 7 AM. I also paid a visit to Pop Physique the day after my 6.5 hour fitness shoot. I was a little sore but not enough to make me not want to try a new class. It was very similar to The Bar Method and I enjoyed it. I just have an itch to try everything and can’t sit still until I do!

Fittingly this month, I am participating in the Harvard Pilgrim Well Together Challenge. I’ve been paired up with my pal Tina, from Carrots ‘n’ Cake to try new fitness classes, techniques and healthy experiences. We will be sharing with all of you our experiences throughout November. I challenge you to try 4 new adventures as well this month!

IMG 0082

While I thought I had tried most of what Boston has to offer, Tina and I discovered that neither of us has taken a Zumba class. These days many instructors use a more Pop/Hip Hop music playlist. Lauren Hefez teaches Zumba at Equinox and has been begging me to take her class (to laugh at my lack of coordination). Kidding. I love Lauren’s classes so I was up for the challenge and so was Tina.

IMG 0077

The 45-minute class began with a warm up song. Quickly it was obvious the girls in the front were regulars and knew Lauren’s choreography. One thing about dance classes to know is that the more you go, the better the workout. Instead of focusing on getting down the moves, you can really build up a sweat by controlling your muscle movements and accentuating each exercise.

Tina and I hung out in the back, something I never do! The music was current, upbeat and encouraging. The moves were simple enough that I could remember the choreography and actually get my heart rate up. The class was quite the unexpected cardio workout! I burned a total of 417 calories during the 45 minute class! That’s like running 4.5 miles for me. Instead, I got to dance, laugh, and learn new moves for the dance floor (kidding about the last one).

IMG 0080

To be honest, had I not been given the Well Together Challenge, I probably would never have tried Lauren’s class. I assumed Zumba was too easy to be a good use of my time. I was proven wrong and will likely be taking Lauren’s class more often this winter when I can’t run outside.

  • Have you taken a class with a friend thinking it would be a piece of cake and were pleasantly surprised?
  • Have you taken a Zumba class lately? Are more instructors going a more Pop route with their playlists or is this just a Boston trend?

I’ve partnered with Harvard Pilgrim on this sponsored post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. You can find more ways to be well at HarvardPilgrim.org/CountUsIn! Check out the incredible football video below to get inspired that when people work together, anything is possible.

Social Butterfly:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Print
  • Email
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Related

Tweet
«
»

Beginner, Cardio Workout, Fitness, Group Exercise, Review 27

Comments

  1. sara says

    October 30, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    Hey sarah, i have tried zumba before but never really got an intense workout from it. The instructor wasnt that great πŸ™ But i do have a question about your polar heartrate monitor, Im in need of buying one and im not sure which one to get. any suggestions? Thanks! Sara

    Reply
    • Lauren (sweat with Lauren Hefez) says

      October 30, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      Sara- The instructor makes all the difference!!! If you are ever in Boston come take my class πŸ™‚ PS Sarah D. was a rockstar. IF you all could have seen her moves πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        October 30, 2012 at 2:11 pm

        lol. You couldn’t pay me to watch a video of myself trying to do Zumba.

        Reply
        • sara says

          October 30, 2012 at 5:53 pm

          I would love to come to Boston, so if i ever do I will def take your class!
          Lauren- do you have any suggestions on heart rate monitors? i see that Sarah D wears the polar RCX3 so i may just try that one?! Thanks you guys are great btw!

          Reply
          • Sarah says

            October 30, 2012 at 5:55 pm

            Lauren doesn’t wear an HR monitor, but I like the Polar RCX3 obvi, but also the FT4 or 6 is good too!

  2. Sonia Gawel says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    Zumba was what got me into fitness about 3 years ago! I had an amazing male instructor from Venezuela for 3 years in Indy before I moved. I still really miss his workouts! He was definitely authentically Latino in his choreography and music which was brilliant! I actually got pretty good and became a certified instructor myself. And Zumba is what you put into it. Once you get the moves down and don’t worry about looking a certain way, a good instructor will lead a class in which you’ll burn 600-800 calories in an hour! No joke!

    Reply
  3. Jayna says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    Just an FYI….a class that is primarily hip-hop/pop is not a true Zumba class. That’s disappointing to read. I suggest you seek out one of the many fantastic Zumba instructors in the Boston area to get the full-out Zumba experience! It still includes burning a crazy amount if calories and plenty of fun. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 30, 2012 at 2:20 pm

      Hi Jayna, I actually prefer the hip-hop/pop version. I volunteered with the Junior League last year on Saturdays and was able to witness the latin-inspired Zumba on a weekly basis and try it. I was in jeans so I wasn’t able to fully get involved, but it was not my speed and was why I hadn’t given it a try. Music plays a huge part for me when I work out. If I don’t like the music, then I find it hard to get inspired. I thought the choreography was also too difficult to get down since I do not have a background in salsa or meringue.

      Reply
  4. Sky says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:16 pm

    This post is ironic because this morning I tried a Fit Camp class for the first time! I absolutely loved, loved, loved the class. It was a cardio and circuit training class that was really challenging. Working out in a group setting really motivated me and pushed me to work harder! I was definitely surprised at how much I loved the class, because group workouts are usually not my thing. I loved the comradery and the support of the class. Fit camp will now become a Tuesday morning tradition for me!
    By the way I love Tina! I look at her blog almost once a day!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 30, 2012 at 7:12 pm

      I always thought I would hate “camp” class in the morning as well, but was surprised I actually liked the one I took last year! Might sign up for a few this winter myself!

      Reply
  5. Angela @ The Chicken Scoop says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    So glad you liked Zumba!! It gets a bad rap as being “too easy”. I definitely think it depends on the class and the instructor. I’ve been to some very easy Zumba classes that I find too boring but once in a while you find an awesome instructor who really gets you pumped! I used to go regularly and burned about 500 calories a class. A lot more fun than running 5 miles sometimes!!My favorite instructor always did songs you knew from the radio (with a couple good Zumba-specific songs thrown in too). She also has a very hip hop style too. Like I said, it depends on the instructor! Glad you enjoyed it!
    ~Ang

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 30, 2012 at 7:13 pm

      I agree 100% Many people hate running and I had no idea something so fun and entertaining could burn so many calories. Great workout indeed!

      Reply
  6. Jami Gobao says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    You look fab girl! Keep up the great work!!!

    ps..Zumba wasnt for me.. I tried it once and the coordination wasnt happening.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 30, 2012 at 2:47 pm

      I thought it wasn’t for me either. I think it really depends on the instructor!

      Reply
      • sara says

        October 30, 2012 at 5:51 pm

        It definately depends on the instructor! πŸ™‚

        Reply
  7. Nancy Terry says

    October 30, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    If you look up what “Zumba” is you will see that it is supposed to be Latin inspired music! My beef has always been, if it’s more hip hop/pop that’s great but don’t call it Zumba because it is not!! If you think about it, like anything else, it takes practice! Besides, as long as you’re getting a great workout it really doesn’t matter what you look like doing it. Sometimes people have too many hang ups.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 30, 2012 at 5:57 pm

      True! However, that is Equinox not Lauren. The classes with more hits tend to consistently draw a larger crowd, but people are more likely to try out a class called Zumba.

      Reply
  8. Kristy @ Kristy's Health Revolution says

    October 30, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    I know my instructor does stick to a lot of the traditional Latin songs, but he also does some pop and hip-h0p. It keeps it interesting! It’s still the same Zumba moves, and if you’re getting a workout, who cares?

    Reply
  9. Emily says

    October 30, 2012 at 8:49 pm

    I did a cardio kickboxing class at Corpbasics last week and it sounds very similar to your experience! We were in the back, bent over laughing half the time as we tried to get the dance moves and choreography down. The regulars were up front, we were in the back. I still managed to get a great sweat, but definitely is motivation to go back and get up front πŸ™‚

    Reply
  10. Carli says

    October 31, 2012 at 12:17 am

    I love Zumba and my instructor. She does a mix of music and that includes some pop. I enjoy the variety, I think thay’s what makes it so fun.

    Reply
  11. Clarissa says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:02 am

    A lot of my friends think Zumba is just a dance class. It raises my heart rate just like HIIT does not to mention my calves burn like hell afterwards.

    Reply
  12. Alex says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:17 am

    I’ve never taken a Zumba class, but I did take a Step class once. I’m not very good with choreography and find dance-workout classes to be intimidating. Sounds like you got an awesome workout though! Maybe I’ll have to give them another try!

    Reply
  13. Hilary says

    October 31, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Sarah have you ever taken Les Mills classes? I am a Combat and Jam instructor with a love for Pump and Flow as well πŸ˜‰ TRY THOSE NEXT!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 31, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      I Loved Body Pump! They don’t offer it at Equinox though πŸ™

      Reply
  14. Fairly Odd Mother says

    November 2, 2012 at 10:59 am

    Ohhhhh. . . Zumba. . .I swear I just am missing something in my DNA to allow my body to move in that way. Glad it was fun for you!

    Reply
  15. Eva @ Committed2Nutrition says

    November 6, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    I teach Zumba πŸ™‚ I agree with all others that it depends on the instructor, and the more you go, the better it is.. and ITS WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT..which as you learn the routines, the more you can do and get a better work out.

    I love my latin songs.. and thats what actually makes my class so popular. I do really popular spanish songs but also mix in top 20’s pop and hip-hop..but zumba absolutely has to have latin songs… just sayin’ πŸ™‚ glad you liked it!!

    Reply
  16. Vanessa says

    November 7, 2012 at 9:55 pm

    Hi Sarah! Love your blogs! πŸ™‚ I like your Polar above as well! was wondering if you can let me know which Polar is the best if I want to see the calories I burn. I work out daily with cardio, lifting, or yoga. Would this item tell me how many calories I burn through all of those types of activities? Thanks! πŸ™‚

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest Videos

25-minute Prenatal Workout – Full Body, Medium Dumbbells, Low impact

My Top Tip For Losing The Baby Weight in 2021

At Home Workouts Quarantine Edition

This 14-Day Reset Will End Those Holiday Sugar Cravings

More Videos

Recent Posts

  • Korean Meatballs – Family Macro friendly, meal prep idea! January 31, 2023
  • Tracking Macros while Breastfeeding For Weight Loss January 19, 2023
  • Thriving instead of Surviving The Holidays November 3, 2022
  • How to meet your career and health goals while traveling for work October 25, 2022
  • An Overview of the FASTer Way To Fat Loss – Review September 6, 2022
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DISCLOSURE
  • PRIVACY
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to our list and get your Free printable PDF of my Prenatal Fitness Guide including 6 workouts, 2 for each trimester!

Join the waitlist and learn more about the most efficient fitness and nutrition program on the market and get updates on my upcoming rounds!

Copyright © 2023 · Darling theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 Β· SarahFit.com

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.