Great Escape: Join the Zumba Party

Even the most homebound moms among us have heard about Zumba. This dance-based workout is becoming in the 21^st century what Jazzercise was in the ‘80s: everywhere. I have been hearing about Zumba for years now, and the other day I walked into my kid’s preschool when I overhear a Zumba mom tell someone she’s Zumba’d off enough weight to lose a whole pants size. Sold! So why not spend a free afternoon checking out what has become a fitness phenomenon?

Zumba, with its fantastic tagline, “Ditch the workout, join the party,” appears to be a Shakira-worthy Latin dance party set to international music. It was developed in 2001 by a couple of Grammy-winning producers and a Colombian fitness instructor, who says it was born by accident, when said instructor forgot his aerobics music. His class loved the merenge and samba he played, and it took off from there.

 Check out www.zumba.com and enter your zip code to find a Zumba class—they are popping up all over. Hercules Parks & Recreation and Crockett Community Center are two sites offering Zumba in the Pinole area.

Ole!