Before Erica Hyatt walks through the door, she is a chemical engineering major. She is a student at the UF. She thinks about homework and grades and meetings for the intramural softball team she is on. But for the hour she is in the room, she forgets all of that. She throws her arms in the air and sways her hips to the blaring music.
For an hour, she is just a woman, nothing else.
Fifty energetic bodies join Hyatt as they twist and shake in unison. Every person dances as if no one is watching, though the room is full of people. The sweat in the air forms a condensation on the mirrors, slickens the floors, but nobody cares. This is the chance to let go and just dance.
This is Zumba.
The fitness class developed in the early 1990s but has only influenced the workouts of gym patrons at UF for about a year. The UF Department of Recreational Sports offered the class five times a week last fall, and it reached capacity almost every time.
Zumba will be offered at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center again this fall, according to Patricia Figueroa, a group fitness instructor and a certified Zumba teacher.
Figueroa described Zumba as a fusion of all kinds of Latin music with easy-to-follow moves that allows people to feel more like they are at a party than working out.
"It's a great way to burn a lot of calories without even realizing it," Hyatt said. "And when you leave, you feel happy."
Marissa Noelte, a graduate student in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at UF, said that after a long day of studying, Zumba classes helps her to relieve stress.
Before Zumba, Noelte's workouts consisted of 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical and some strength training. The monotony made her very aware that she was working out.
"When I do Zumba it is fun and gives me variety, so an hour goes by very quickly," she said.
Noelte said that even if you aren't a dancer or very into choreography, it doesn't matter. The moves are easy to follow and allow you to have fun.
Figueroa said it is an effective workout strategy for those wanting to tone their bodies and burn calories. Zumba is a high-intensity cardio workout, which means it burns calories by bringing the heart rate really high and then bringing it back down repeatedly.
She said people that come to her class each week see visible results quickly, and she encourages new people to give it a try.
"I think it lets girls break out of their shell," she said. "It lets them be a new person, just for that one hour."
