Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Money/Health

The last time I went out dancing, I was wearing sweat pants and running shoes.

Oh - and I was at a place not-so-famous for its dancing scene - Gold's Gym, 320 E. Hamilton Ave.

It's a new craze, at least to the area, called Zumba. The instructor of the class and Gold's Gym trainer Sue Czelatdko said she started teaching Zumba in December.

"It's meant to be a 'have fun' kind of workout," she said. "You finish (and) you realize you're sweating but you don't feel like its a workout."

Zumba combines Latin music and typical Latin dance moves to create a workout meant to tone your body while burning calories, according to Zumba.com.

Recently, Zumba has created the movement of being a "fitness party" and its popularity is rapidly growing.

In fact, Czelatdko said Zumba has a tag line based on the "have fun" focus of the exercise - "Ditch the workout, join the party."

Get into the groove
I spend a lot of time at the gym. Ever since I was about 15 years old, the fitness center has felt like my second home. After that many years of exercising like a hamster trapped on its wheel, I needed to start branching out to keep my interest.

I've done tae-bo and at times, it has served the purpose of steering me from boredom.

Over the years I have developed an interest in Pilates, yoga, and more recently Pilloga (a term my friend and I coined regarding a class the instructor calls Yoga/Pilates Fusion.)

When I heard about Zumba, I was instantly intrigued. Latin music, dancing - and exercise? Well, am I in heaven?

Being a Spanish major as well, Latin music is like a second blood type running through my veins. I hear it and I get the urge to return to Mexico - and dance salsa.

When I walked into the Zumba classroom Wednesday morning, that is exactly what I wanted to do.

Dance, dance, dance ...
If memory serves me correctly, the song playing upon my entrance was "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee. A relatively Americanized Latin song, but still it has the melody that drags me back to my love for Mexico.

Czelatdko was up front, performing moves reminiscent of salsa but also made me feel emerged in an upbeat aerobics class. This was the warm up song.

What ensued during the next 45 minutes was song after song featuring Latin music and their respective dance moves - music styles including salsa and merengue.

Czeltadko said the class is actually a combination of dance moves and modifications to make for a more aerobic-like exercise.

That's because Zumba actually started from what was supposed to be a typical aerobics class - but one fateful day in Colombia, "Beto" Perez, an aerobics instructor, forgot the music for the class, according to Zumba.com. He improvised with tapes he had in his car, which were traditional Latin songs.

I've done plain old aerobics classes before, and didn't like them. Most aerobics classes seem to be just random jumping around and I can't get into them. This isn't a typical aerobics class - it was actually fun.

When Czeltadko asked me what I thought of the class, I said I would do it again - and I would. In fact, I can't wait to.

Zumba classes at Gold's Gym are held on Wednesdays at 9:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. and Fridays at 5:35 p.m. The YMCA, 700 Graham Ave., also has Zumba classes on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 a.m., Fridays at 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 a.m.

Czeltadko said she enjoys teaching the class because it's very energetic and she loves to move with the music. She encourages new Zumba-class attendees to not be afraid of any learning curve that comes with the dance moves.

"Just have fun with it and do what you can," she said.

So why Zumba?
The question then becomes whether or not this type of exercise has any benefit over other excersises.

In my opinion, any form of moving is better than none, but Zumba really hits a special spot. Not only did I feel energized afterwards, the sweat dripping off my body told me the exercise gave me some real calorie burn.

Also, I'm guessing all that dancing is pretty good for toning up those legs. My calves were feeling a little sore the next day and the only cause could have been the 45 minutes I spent in that class.

Plus, it's a much better form of stress relief than other types of exercise, because of its fun element. Some people say yoga is a good form of stress relief, but in my opinion sitting in the quiet holding stretches for minutes only leads me to start thinking of all those things nagging at the back of my mind.

In Zumba, you can let yourself go and feel the rhythms of those smooth Latin beats - then it's easy to let go of all your stresses. Dancing builds my confidence and boosts my happiness, and I hope it could do the same for others.

All in all, my journey with Zumba does not end with this story. I plan to hit up some more classes and maybe even purchase a Zumba DVD.

I may not ever become an expert salsa dancer, but at least I'll have fun and stay in shape along the way.

Beyer is a senior print journalism and Spanish major and online editor of The Spectator.

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