A Zumba fitness party is coming to town. Dance your way into shape by joining the Nestlé Fitnesse Shape Up night, dubbed “Shape Up Your Lifestyle, featuring Zumba Fitness” on March 31, 6 p.m. at the NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City, The Fort, Taguig.
Just present a proof of purchase of any Nestlé Fitnesse variant at the entrance and be ready to spin, shimmy, strut, and shake the night away, and enjoy servings of Nestle’s nutritious cereals, too.
Can’t dance? Not a problem, said Kristie Enriquez, certified Zumba fitness instructor.
Enriquez, who earned her certificate in Australia, said Zumba steps are easy to follow, she said, so that even people who claim to have two left feet can pull it off.
“We don’t really go the usual aerobic classes of counting 1, 2, 3 for every step. At Zumba, we get you to feel the beat and the rhythm. You see the shy ones hesitating at the start, but once they get the hang of it you see them getting more and more confident. It just gives you this high,” Enriquez said.
There are different types of Zumba classes. There’s the regular Zumba class, the most popular form of Zumba with pulsating Latin music. There’s the Zumba Toning, where participants carry dumbbells light enough get them through an hour to an hour-and-a-half of moving.
Interval training
Zumba Gold, a slower-paced dance, is designed for seniors. Zumba Aqua is a dance class you do in the pool. Zumbatomic is a class for children ages 4-12. And Zumba Sentao is a class that uses chairs as part of the choreography (think chair dips).
Enriquez said Zumba fitness is a kind of interval training that combines aerobic and muscle strengthening. In short, it is a complete exercise. The interval training improves your cardiovascular strength, while the muscle training tones your body. (But if your aim is to get ripped, you’ll need to include working out with weights in your program.)
“Zumba incorporates different dances. It combines world cultures, that’s why it’s so much fun,” she said.
For instance, she said, a class can combine Latin salsa, Spanish flamenco, Dominican merengue, Middle Eastern belly dancing, Hindu steps, Caribbean soca, and more. It can be a fusion of cha-cha, samba, hip-hop, and even dance steps you see in Bollywood movies. Enriquez said she won’t be surprised if the Filipino tinikling or pandango sa ilaw will be included someday.
“We want weight management to be enjoyable. When you’re in a Zumba class it doesn’t feel like a workout at all because you’re having so much fun,” said Joi de Jesus, country business manager, Cereal Partners Worldwide of Nestlé Phils.
De Jesus also said eating should be enjoyable even when on a diet. To prove this point, Nestlé asked the acclaimed Chef Jessie Sincioco to whip up a menu using Nestlé Fitnesse cereals. The healthy set meal, from salad to dessert, was a winner.
The Nestlé Shape Up night, “Shape Up Your Lifestyle featuring Zumba Fitness,” will also be selling Nestlé Fitnesse cereals at the entrance for those who didn’t bring their proof of purchase receipts.
