February Zumba Music Playlist
Little known trivia about me: I hate February! Nothing good ever happens in February and I am so glad it’s over…
But still, I hope you enjoy my February Zumba songs:
La Cucaracha (Cumbia / Latin Pop – Warm Up)
Kumbia Kings
I Gotta Feeling (Pop – back by popular demand!)
Black Eyed Peas
Chaiyya Chaiyya (Bollywood / Zumba Toning)
Bombay Dreams
Me Gusta, Me Gusta (Salsa)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Jump in the Line (International)
Harry Belafonte
Chiquilla (Cumbia)
A.B. Quintanilla III Y Los Kumbia All Starz
Hava Nagila (Traditional)
Zumba Gold
Kiss Kiss (Belly Dance)
ZIN Megamix 4
A La Nena Le Gusta (Merengue)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Tigy Tigy (Reggaeton/Arabic)
Zumba ZIN Mega Mix 15
Salome (Salsa/Pop)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Fuego (Cumbia)
Zumba ZIN Megamix 4
Loba (Latin Pop)
Shakira
La Isla Bonita (Pop – Cool Down)
Madonna
My November Zumba Song List
Better late than never… 
Happy Thanksgiving!
La Fiesta (Flamenco + Belly Dance / Warm Up)
Zumba Original Soundtrack
I Gotta Feeling (Hip Hop)
Black Eyed Peas
Ça Plane Pour Moi (Merengue)
(Plastic Betrand – National Lampoon’s European Vacation Soundtrack)
Baila Esta Cumbia (Cumbia)
Zumba Megamix 14
Bonita (Samba)
Zumba Megamix 14
La Morena (Merengue)
Zumba Megamix 14
Solo Se Vive Una Vez (Rumba Flamenca)
(Zumba ZIN Megamix 13)
Rompe (Hip Hop)
(Daddy Yankee)
Fuego (Cumbia)
(Zumba ZIN Megamix 4)
African Beat (African)
(Zumba ZIN 22)
Ritmo Caliente (Quebradita)
Zumba ZIN 22)
Krazy (Hip Hop)
(Pitbull Featuring LiL Jon)
Dance the Night Away (Salsa)
(The Mavericks – The Best of the Mavericks)
Every Breath You Take (Cool Down)
(UB40 – 50 First Dates Soundtrack)
Zumba with a Purpose
Attention Zumba lovers in Minnesota!
Zumba with a Purpose to benefit Toys for Tots with a $10 donation on December 12, 2009 from 1-3pm at Gold’s Gym in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. This Toys for Tots benefit will feature a group of local Zumba instructors and, keeping in the spirit of Toys for Tots, Marines.
Click here for more information and enjoy!
Knee Pain During Zumba
I heard one of my Zumba class regulars who disappeared recently has quit doing Zumba because of knee pain. This is not the first Zumba knee pain complaint I’ve heard. Why do people’s knees hurt from Zumba?
As I mentioned in my past Rencsi.com post Sticky Shoes During Zumba, most athletic shoes are designed for forward movement only. Running shoes and walking shoes have heavy traction and robust soles to resist sliding and turning and this is exactly what runners and walkers need. This is not what we want in Zumba class.
Zumba incorporates the twisting, turning, and sliding movements of Latin dance. While the body is moving, the heavy traction of popular athletic shoes causes the Zumba dancer to stick to the studio floor. The foot stays put and the leg, knee, and hip twist, turn, and slide.
Think of a basic Cuban salsa move – you step to the side, shift your weight to that foot, shift your weight to the other foot, and bring your feet together and repeat and repeat and repeat. The thick, wide soles of most athletic shoes are designed to prevent the lateral movement of salsa, one of the basic dances in a Zumba class.
It’s no wonder some exercisers experience knee pain from Zumba!
The good news is knee pain does not have to end your Zumba workout. There are many styles of athletic dance shoes available that will allow you to turn and slide freely. Here are some articles to help you find the best shoes to wear during Zumba. Enjoy!
Zumba FAQ – What are the best shoes to wear in a Zumba Class?
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness, interests | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, athletic shoes, Dance, dance shoes, Fitness, group fitness, shoes, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, Zumba shoes | Comment (0)How to Become a Group Fitness Instructor II – Get Group Fitness Certified
Step II: Get Group Fitness Certified
As we now know, the first thing to do if you want to become a group fitness instructor is get CPR/AED certified. I was able to complete the course in a 5-hour class with a Red Cross-approved training company for $65.
The next step in becoming a group fitness instructor is to become group fitness certified. There are two major organizations that certify group fitness instructors and personal trainers – ACE (American Council on Exercise) and AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America).
If you have a particular gym or studio you’d like to work at or a favorite group fitness instructor, ask which certification the gym, studio, or instructor recommends. Some gyms require all group fitness instructors to also be certified personal trainers.
My Zumba instructor recommended getting both AFAA and ACE certified. ACE is more widely recognized and more difficult to get so I chose to get ACE certified first.
ACE’s Group Fitness Instructor Certification process involves studying the ACE Group Fitness Instructor Manual and Master the Manual Study Guide to pass the ACE Group Fitness Instructor Certification Exam. I ordered the Basic Group Fitness Instructor Home Study Program for $139.95 + $18 s&h. You can also order these materials individually through ACE or Amazon.
The ACE Group Fitness Certification Exam can be computer-based or pencil-and-paper, although the CBT is offered much more often than the traditional method test. There is a $259 charge to take the CBT exam.
AFAA offers a Group Exercise certification. The AFAA certification process involves a full-day workshop including written and practical exams. The cost of the study guides, workshop, and exam is $299.
Don’t be shy! Let your gym, studio, and instructors know you’re pursing the instructor certification – they could give you advice and it could get you a job when you complete your certification.
More to come on this topic! See also, How to Become a Group Fitness Instructor I – Get CPR/AED Certified.
Filed under exercise, group fitness, interests | Tags: ACE, aerobic, aerobics instructor, AFAA, america, american, association, certification, council, exam, exercise, Fitness, group, group fitness instructor, instructor, Zumba, zumba instructor | Comments (3)How to Become a Group Fitness Instructor I – Get CPR/AED Certified
Step I: Get CPR/AED Certified
The first thing to do if you want to become a group fitness instructor is get CPR/AED certified. CPR stands for CardioPulmonary Resuscitation. AED stands for Automatic External Defibrillator.
I found a CPR/AED certification class by visiting the American Red Cross webpage for my area, the Twin Cities. The class cost $65. It was held in a private home by a Red Cross-approved private training company for 5 hours on a Saturday.
The first 4 hours were CPR training. We watched video segments and the instructor embellished on the content. We practiced CPR on the Resusci Anne mannequins and took a short, multiple-choice written exam to be Red Cross CPR certified.
The last hour was AED training. Again, we watched video segments and we practiced using simulation AED equipment on the Resusci Anne teaching mannequins. There was another short, multiple-choice written exam to be Red Cross AED certified.
Zumba: Great Workout, Silly Name
I recently canceled my Snap Fitness 24-7 gym membership to join an independent gym called Fitness Crossroads. For $10/month more, the independent gym provides showers, lockers, towel service, and best of all – group fitness classes!
Being a dancer, I have always loved group fitness classes. I’ve often thought I was born too late and missed my true calling of being a aerobics instructor in the 1980’s. In fact, when asked my dream job, I often respond “aerobics instructor slash dog walker.” (Watch Eric Prydz’s Call On Me Video here. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s racy and nsfw.)
I had been away from the group fitness scene for a few years while I lived in Europe and while I held mini-gym memberships here in the States. After I joined my new gym in March, I soon saw an announcement that they were adding two “Zumba” classes to the group fitness schedule. Zumba? It sounded silly, but I decided to Google it.
The Zumba workout is based on latin rhythms and dance moves. It is like going out to a nightclub dancing, but with the freedom of not caring how you look and getting sweaty in the comfort of your own gym!
I loved Zumba from the very first minute. I was a member of the pom pon squad in high school and the dance team in college. Each song in Zumba is a mini dance routine, much like danceline. The instructor breaks down the moves first and then brings the moves up to speed. The moves are intuitive and easy-to-follow. The main goal is to keep moving.
One thing I especially love about Zumba is that each class participant can increase or decrease intensity according to their comfort level, which makes it suitable for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, many of the participants in my daytime class are 65 and over! I love to see the older men and women smiling, laughing, and dancing up a storm! Zumba Gold was designed specifically for older adults. I hope I am still dancing at age 70!
I highly recommend looking for Zumba classes at your local gym or community center, regardless of the silly name. It is so much fun, it’s like working out without working out! I love Zumba so much, and Zumba is so much fun to me, I am becoming a certified group fitness instructor through ACE (American Council on Exercise) in order to become a certified Zumba instructor.
Ditch the workout, join the party!
Filed under exercise, group fitness, health, interests, music | Tags: aerobics, aerobics instructor, Dance, Fitness, gold, group fitness, group fitness instructor, instructor, latin, latin dance, music, Names, snap, snap fitness, workout, Zumba, zumba gold | Comment (0)The Masala Bhangra Workout
I recently attended a Masala Bhangra Workout Master Class. The event was organized by my Zumba instructor and the class was full of mostly other Zumba instructors. I had never tried the Masala Bhangra Workout, but decided it must be good if so many Zumba enthusiasts we planning to attend.
Actually, it was fantastic! The Masala Bhangra Workout was created by Sarina Jain. Sarina Jane personally lead the workshop I attended in traditional Indian clothing. She is somewhat of a celebrity in the fitness world and has her own program on FitTV and ExerciseTV.tv. She has even been called the Jane Fonda of India.
Sarina Jain herself is one of only a few certified Masala Bhangra Workout instructors in the world. She personally trains and certifies all Masala Bhangra instructors to maintain the culture and integrity of her program. Masala Bhangra instructor training is held in major cities across the U.S. The Masala Bhangra Workout is currently recognized by AFAA and is soon-to-be recognized by ACE.
Masala means “spicy mixture” and Bhangra is a folk dance of northern India, specifically the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The Bhangra folk dance is combined with Bollywood film-style Indian dancing.
In the Masala Bhangra Workout Master Class, we learned specific Indian dance moves and techniques and built a fun, sexy routine. We ended the hour-long workshop by forming a circle and crossing the room and dancing as a group. Sarina Jain said we would each burn about 500 calories, depending on the intensity we put into the workout. I was completely drenched with sweat after the workout and I can feel the workout today in my legs – especially in my calves and hamstrings.
You can not help but dance to the Bhangra Bollywood-style Hindi pop music. It features singing over music driven by a certain kind of drum called the Dhol. It is very recognizable and stays with you long after Masala Bhangra class. It is the type of music you might hear at an Indian Wedding Reception.
I am sure to purchase the Masala Bhangra Workout DVDs as there are no certified instructors in my area. Yet.
Buy Masala Bhangra Workout products on Amazon.com.
