Zumba!

Feeling like a couch potato? Well there is no need to be. Hundreds of women and yes men too, have been taking up the new dancing craze known as Zumba. This heart pumping dance style is Latin inspired and kicked off around the 90's but recently Zumba has swept out nation. You can find a Zumba class in nearly every fitness centre. For those of you who are still a little confused Zumba is high tempo dance style similar to aerobics. It is fitness instructor led. The routines are a mix of hip hop, salsa, meringue and martial arts. You can even see a bit of belling dancing and squats in there too.

Sometimes great ideas are born from accidents. The creator or Zumba, Alberto Perez, was supposed to run his usual aerobics class when he realised he had forgotten his music, so he used the CDs from his car which were traditional Latin salsa an meringue music. The high energetic music proved to be successful it created something new and fun for his class and it has been proven to motivate millions.

After this, Zumba was to be the next big thing. It's estimated that 12 billion people do Zumba every week and it will be one of the top ten fitness trends for 2012.

Dance has always bought people together and I think that's why people love it so much. This style is much more fluid but also demanding. The amount of women dieting has risen as they feel the need to look like their favourite celebrities. The pressure to lose weight is at it highest. Zumba appeals to a lot of women as it makes you feel good as well as losing weight, building up stamina and muscle strength. Hip shakers Jennifer Lopez and Madonna are two of many celebrities who love Zumba; well there is no surprise there with dance running through their blood.

The Zumba craze has not only taken over gyms but livings rooms too. Thousands of Zumba fitness DVDs were sold last year so for those who feel intimidated by a class full of people you can now do it daily in the comfort of your own home. Nintendo wii and kinetic consoles have also bought Zumba to technological advancements. The wii Zumba game comes with a waist belt to allow you to measure how hard you’re working. Xbox Kinect also has a similar version. Even if you’re not so good at dancing these games will be fun for anyone.

There is even a Zumba clothing line!

And it has also taken to the water with Aqua Zumba, based in swimming pools.

So if you haven't tried this new fitness craze, then perhaps you should.