'Zumba' for those of you who are as clueless as I was up until a few weeks ago, is described as a Latin and International dance fitness programme. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, samba, salsa, mambo, merengue, soca, martial arts, Bollywood and belly dancing. I first became aware of Zumba through Facebook when I heard my friends raving about classes they had attended so I was intrigued to see what all the fuss was about.
The first day I received the game I was dressed in my usual clothes of a long-sleeved top, jeans and boots; I turned the game on just to see what it was like, not intending to play it there and then, but the music was so addictive I had to get up and dance straight away. Amazingly, because the music was so upbeat and involving it didn't feel like I was doing any strenuous fitness regime; that was until the sweat started to pour off me. But still that didn't put me off because the great thing about dancing is that it doesn't feel like work; it's just so enjoyable. Eventually I had to get changed in to a shorts and t-shirt as I was enjoying myself so much and I spent 20 minutes on it before I totally wore myself out. (I know, I know! I need to improve my fitness, but not too bad for a first attempt).
I find the game totally empowering; it makes you feel like you are some amazing dancer! Not only are you doing a great form of exercise but you are learning to dance too. My personal favourite was the Bob Marley 'Jammin' song.
A feature I liked about the game was that the small screen on the bottom left told you whether you were performing the moves correctly, so the more moves you done correctly, the higher your overall score at the end. It was nice having a goal to aim for and seeing your dance performance improve with practice.
The Zumba Fitness Core game is fantastic for me as the 40 new routines aim specifically to sculpt your abs; since having babies that has been my most problematic area, so it will be great to see in a few months time just how this game helps me. At the moment I am showing no signs of boring of the game, I feel I am growing in proficiency with my dancing and so this spurs me on to do harder routines.I love music and it's the music that keeps me inspired and upbeat when playing this game; with hits from Enrique Iglesias, Don Omar, Sean Paul, Bob Marley, Tiesto and much more there is something that will appeal to everyone. The fitness instructors in the game that guide you through the dance moves are all based on real-life celebrity Zumba instructors, so I'm sure a lot of their real-life vibrancy has been captured in this Wii game.
With over 30 different dance styles to pick up it will take a long while to bore of this game. Since getting the game I have played around 3 times a week (I do have to battle with my 10 year old son for use of the Xbox otherwise it would probably be more).
At the moment I am still working with the low-intensity routines, but each time I play this game I feel that much more adept.
So if you are looking for a fun way to exercise then this game is for you.
For more information please visit http://www.game.co.uk
