Heart Rate Monitor for Zumba

Enough guessing. I’m buying a heart rate monitor for Zumba.

I’m a Zumba instructor and I track my diet and exercise through a free online fitness diary called hotcal. Until now, I’ve been using the cardio exercise entry “Dancing, aerobic, ballet or modern, twist” to track Zumba. According to my height, weight, age, and sex; I should burn about 272 calories in one 50-minute Zumba class.

As an instructor, I exaggerate all of my movements and give 100% during each song of each class. After Zumba classes, I am drenched from head to toe in sweat. I don’t think 272 is an accurate measure of the calories I burn in a typical Zumba class. That is why I’ve decided to buy a heart rate monitor.

After a little research, I’ve settled on the Polar FT60 heart rate monitor. This hr monitor comes with the fabric chest band with the snap on/snap off electronic brain. The fabric band was important because I’ve used hr monitors with the plastic band with the built in electronics. It was very uncomfortable and I can’t image doing Zumba while wearing a hard plastic band around my rib cage. As I mentioned, Zumba makes me sweat hardcore. I need equipment that I can rinse or it will be ruined in no time.

The FT60 is not cheap, but I am also a long distance runner and biker. I don’t need a foot pod or gps capability now, but these are optional add-ons to the FT60. I would not like to buy another heart rate monitor any time soon, but I may want to accessorize later.

The other nice thing about the women’s FT60 is that it is attractive. The band is magenta and the face is white and silver with decorations on the face. If I have to wear this thing daily, I might as well like the way it looks.

Stay tuned as I try out my heart rate monitor for Zumba.

Should I Buy a Heart Rate Monitor for Zumba?

I love teaching Zumba. I teach high intensity Zumba 4 times a week and Zumba Gold 2 times a week. I smile a lot and sweat a lot, but how do I know much exercise I am getting from Zumba class?

Until now, I have relied on free online calorie calculators and exercise diaries like hot cal to tell me how many calories I burn during exercise, including Zumba. I enter every food and beverage I consume each day and I enter every minute of exercise I do each day into hot cal. The site software uses my 1) Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR, 2) daily calorie needs based on my activity level, 3) net calorie needs, and 4) exercise bonus calories to calculate whether I’ve stayed within my daily calorie target to meet my personal fitness or weight loss goals.

I currently use the cardio exercise entry “Dancing, aerobic, ballet or modern, twist” to track Zumba. According to my height, weight, age, and sex; I should burn about 272 calories in one 50-minute Zumba class.

272 calories? That’s it? That can’t be right… Can it?

I think it’s time I invest in a heart rate monitor so I know exactly how many calories I burn in each Zumba class – not only for my own personal fitness, but to also allow me to use the music and moves that will get my Zumba class participants’ hearts pumping (safely, of course).

Stay tuned as I shop for my first heart rate monitor for Zumba!

April Zumba Music Playlist

April showers bring May flowers! Some of my April Zumba songs. Enjoy!

Don’t Matter Calypso Remix (Calypso / Pop Warm Up)
Akon

Loba (Latin Pop)
Shakira

Baila Esta Cumbia (Cumbia)
Zumba Megamix 14

Salome (Salsa / Pop)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24

Que Te Pica (Reggaeton)
Notch

Jump in the Line (International)
Harry Belafonte

Evacuate the Dance Floor (Pop)
Cascada

I Need to Know (Cha Cha)
Zumba Fitness ZIN Volume 25

La Morena (Merengue)
Zumba Megamix 14

Tigy Tigy (Reggaeton / Arabic)
Zumba ZIN Mega Mix 15

Brinca (Cumbia)
DJ Kane

Rain Dance (African)
The Very Best Featuring M.I.A.

Boro Boro (Belly Dance)
Zumba ZIN 22

La Agarro Bajando (Salsa)
Zumba Megamix 4

Na De Na (Pop)
Angel & Khriz

La Negra Tomasa (Cumbia)
DJ Kane

Banana Boat (Da-O) (International – Cool Down)
Harry Belafonte

Zumba With a Purpose – Chile Earthquake Relief

Attention Zumba lovers in Minnesota!

Zumba with a Purpose to benefit Chilean Earthquake Relief with a $10 donation on Sunday, May 2, 2010 from 1:30-3:15pm at Shoreview YMCA in Shoreview, Minnesota.

The 2010 Chilean earthquake happened on February 27, 2010. Approximately 500 people died and 500,000 homes were destroyed. Many Zumba instructors have family and friends in Chile. All money raised at the Zumba with a Purpose event will be given to the Chilean Club in Minnesota (Chilenos en Minnesota) to be delivered to Chilean institutions to benefit earthquake and tsunami victims.

Click here for more information and enjoy!

March Zumba Music Playlist

Some of my March Zumba songs. Enjoy!

Don’t Matter Calypso Remix (Calypso / Pop Warm Up)
Akon

Papa Loves Mambo (Mambo)
Perry Como

Loba (Latin Pop)
Shakira

Me Gusta, Me Gusta (Salsa)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24

La Morena (Merengue)
Zumba Megamix 14

Hava Nagila (Traditional)
Zumba Gold

Tigy Tigy (Reggaeton / Arabic)
Zumba ZIN Mega Mix 15

Brinca (Cumbia)
DJ Kane

Salome (Salsa / Pop)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24

Evacuate the Dance Floor (Pop)
Cascada

Jump in the Line (International)
Harry Belafonte

Rain Dance (African)
The Very Best Featuring M.I.A.

A La Nena Le Gusta (Merengue)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24

Na De Na (Pop)
Angel & Khriz

Chaiyya Chaiyya (Bollywood – Zumba Toning)
Bombay Dreams

Obsesion (Bachata)
Aventura

La Isla Bonita (Pop – Cool Down)
Madonna

Cool Zumba Shoes

I want these awesome athletic dance shoes for Zumba! They are only $62.00 on Nike.com, but they don’t have my size!

Does anyone know where I can buy Nike Huarache women’s dance shoes for Zumba other than directly from Nike? I want to find my size!

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 First Boot Camp Workout

Being a group fitness instructor has its perks: One of the fitness centers where I work has given me the opportunity to participate in a weekly boot camp style workout! And the best part: It’s free for me!

Last night was the first night. I was unsure what to expect, other than calisthenics and some good, old-fashioned exercise. We started by running stairs – something I hadn’t done since high school (1997 if you must know). Running stairs transitioned into quickly hopping up stairs, one-by-one…

The rest of the hour-long boot camp workout incorporated chopping and high knees, burpees, and mountain climbers. We used stability balls, hand weights, and mats. It was an awesome total body workout and I’m excited to see what the results will be after this session of boot camp workouts once per week.

The instructor was great very motivating and encouraging, but strict. We shouted out the number of each exercise. If we started to slack or if our form started to get sloppy, we started the exercise set again at ONE.

Many of the participants were also very motivated and encouraged others to perform, but I was a little disappointed with some of the other participants. Do yourself a favor: If you’re not prepared to work hard, don’t register for a boot camp workout. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do, and you’ll just be holding back other participants.

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!