Tag: North America

Obesity is on the rise in North America. With the average work week increasing from 40 hours up to 50-60 hours a week for some of us: It’s become increasingly difficult for all of us to resist the urge to eat out on a daily basis at the local McDonald’s, or neighborhood pizza shop. Fast food is fine in moderation, but a busy life can easily make us feel like -fast- is our only solution and that health has to take a back-seat for the time-being.

Combine a poor diet that’s high in fat, with family, along with other social obligations and you have a recipe for weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, etc. Much of this could all be avoided with a regular beginner cardio routine, performed 3 days per week. The common excuse for lack of exercise seems to be lack of time. However, almost everyone can spare 30 minutes out of their day for a quick hearty-healthy workout.

Think about how easy it would be to throw some chicken, pork, or salmon on broil while you follow an instructional video, with a beginner cardio routine geared toward getting you into shape. Most people spend anywhere from 20-40 minutes on average to drive to -convenient- fast-food establishments, wait in line, etc. While this isn’t always the case, many of us waste a lot of time doing things we think save us time — without even realizing it.

Perhaps your kids take up -too much- of your time and they need your attention. There is nothing most kids love more than exercising. Rather than playing a board game, or watching Dora the Explorer — get your kids to follow along with you and do some beginner cardio exercises such as: light yoga, step aerobics, dancing to your favorite songs, take them along to a family aerobics class at your local fitness center, etc.

If you’re looking for a fitness program that will work for you long term, there are a few things to consider.

Firstly, the routine has to help you burn more calories than you take in in order for the pounds to drop.

It also has to fit into your lifestyle so that you are not discouraged to continue to work out when you find that the program does not sustain your interest or that it conflicts with your schedule.

Dance aerobics is one of the best cardio for weight loss programs because it is an intense workout that is fun and has a high portability factor. This means that you can either head to your local gym or just pop a dance aerobics DVD into the player, clear a spot on your living room floor, and start your dance workout. It is quite enjoyable as workouts go, as the combination of contagious rhythmic music, and dance moves makes it much more interesting than, say, running on a treadmill. In fact, if you do it right, you can burn 400 calories in 30 minutes.

Zumba, a high-intensity Latin dance fitness workout has been making the fitness gym rounds since 2001 when it was introduced by a Miami based fitness instructor named Beto Perez. It combines salsa, chacha, merengue, samba and rock ‘n roll steps in a party-themed aerobic dance routine. The program has been such a hit that over 3 million Zumba DVDs have been sold since it was introduced. Thousands of Zumba fitness instructors have sprung up all over North America and millions of people have embraced Zumba.

Zumba is more than just a fitness routine — it’s also a great socializer. The dance moves are amazing, and go from the gym to the dancefloor with the greatest of ease — dance lessons are the icing on the cake!

There have been many reports of rapid weight loss through the use of this dance workout, with just as many fans reporting higher levels of energy and fitness. Most zumba beginners tend to stick with the routine, simply because it is producing quick, visible results, and because they are enjoying themselves so much while exercising.

With its excellent results and high retention rate, Zumba dancercise has to qualify as one of the best cardio for weight loss programs today.

Zumba fans are raving about their favorite aerobic workout routine. We have compiled some VIDEOS for your viewing pleasure.