Watch CBS News

Zumba Fitness Brings Dance To The Gym

In the fitness room at Club USA in Littleton, the music is pumping and the room is packed with exercisers of all shapes and sizes. Their toes are tapping and hips swinging to a Latin beat.

"It's so much fun. It's like a party," said Davida Wright Galvin, class instructor.

The party is Zumba Fitness and it's playing out in fitness rooms across the country. Zumba is the latest fitness craze. The moves have salsa flair, but you shouldn't be intimidated by the fancy footwork. You don't have to be a dancer to do Zumba.

"The fact is Zumba is not a class for dancers. If you were a dancer you might not come to Zumba because the moves are so simple," said Wright Galvin.

Simple steps that get the heart rate going and the sweat flows. Before you know it you've picked up the rhythm and dropped a few pounds.

"Probably close to 10 pounds and some inches, but for me, I feel so much better," said Christine Ives, a self-proclaimed Zumba addict.

Ives says it's the only exercise activity she's tried that she's willing to actually make time for.

"I've tried biking. I've tried weightlifting-kind of classes and things like that. I used to do step aerobics-type things and never would stick with it because I didn't love it."

Wright Galvin says she loves it and most of the people in her classes love it. She promises a fun hour of fitness that works every part of the body.

"People come back because they're smiling the whole time and the icing on the cake is that they're sweating and they've burned a lot of calories."

Additional Resources:

You can find a class near you by going to the Zumba Fitness website.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.