Imagine walking along an island beach, sipping coconut juice straight from the coconut. You gaze at the sea-green water, watching as the waves wash the shore…
Then a playlist starts. You don’t know the names of every song, but you DO know that the songs make you want to move. As you begin to groove, two maraca weights magically appear in your hands, each one weighing 2.5 pounds or less.
Sometimes you shake the weights like instruments. At other times you move like you’re weight-training. All the while, you never stop dancing.
We may not have sea-green waves at Island Time Fitness (and I’m still working on the coconut juice), but the tropical vibes are certainly alive! The scene described above is what it feels like to take Zumba Toning with a tropical twist. Here are five reasons why Zumba Toning is a major hit at Island Time Fitness:
1. The Moves Are Easy to Follow: I’m going to step out on a limb here and say that, in general, Zumba Toning is easier to follow than a traditional Zumba class. Why? Because you can only do so much “while swinging those maraca weights around,” as I like to tell new students! The choreography is simper so that participants can focus on working different muscle groups. If I teach a song that’s designed for abs, I don’t want students studying my feet too much—I want them to focus on their abs while dancing.
2. Everyone Needs Toning: Have you ever heard the saying “use it or lose it”? We really do lose muscle if we don’t use it, especially as we age. For females, we want to make sure we tone our biceps and triceps to combat arm flab, or “wings.” For males, healthy-looking biceps and abs are always a plus. You can do this with boring machines, or you can take our Zumba Toning class! Here you can dance your way to rockin’ abs, biceps, triceps, shoulders, glutes, and more.
3. The Music Moves You: In Zumba, we have a saying: Let it move you. This is critical to any Zumba class because the magic of Zumba is you forget you’re working out (if you are watching the clock, there’s a problem!) It’s a dance party, and Zumba Toning is still a Zumba class and therefore a dance party. Everyone has their own taste of music based upon life experiences and personal taste, so our playlists always include a rich variety of music and, yes, tropical songs! Want an idea of what we play in Zumba Toning class? Try looking up “Thank Mama” by Olatunji, “Salsa Rock” by Grupo Bip, or “La Muchachita” by Nesty el Lider.
4. Enjoy Two Versions of Toning Based On Intensity: Zumba Toning inspired a similar yet slightly different class called Zumba Gold Toning. Similar to Zumba Gold, this class offers a more relaxed pace of movement while still delivering stellar fitness results. Zumba Gold Toning is designed with the active older adult, or “keenagers,” as the primary audience. For this reason, you will see bouncing instead of jumping and jogs instead of runs in this class. Although Gold Toning has a more relaxed pace, the results at the end of class are quite similar to those of Zumba Toning: you will leave with your muscles more toned and major calories burned! Catch both classes on Mondays and Thursdays, Gold Toning at 10:15 a.m. and Zumba Toning at 6:15 p.m.
5. Everyone Loves Maracas: What a fun instrument maracas are! They are a Latin-American staple and easy to use. Zumba’s idea of creating maraca weights (aka toning sticks) is nothing short of genius. In Zumba Toning, some songs have parts that are simply maraca-shaking FUN! I think the maracas add a whole new element to Zumba’s magical “dance party” culture. If you’re playing an instrument, you’re probably not thinking about the fact that you’re working out.
Many people ask me, “What is Zumba Toning?” I hope this post not only answers the question, but it also inspires you to take a Zumba Toning class near you (hopefully at Island Time Fitness!).