Add some GLOBAL flavor to your workout

“This year I’m going to get in shape and take charge of my health!”

How many of us made this New Year’s resolution on January 1? Most of us have said farewell to that resolution weeks ago. But for those who have stuck with it – congratulations! Keep up the great work! If you want to get started and stay motivated, mixing up your workouts might help.

Changing your regular routine will keep your body guessing and keep your boredom at bay. Maybe you want to add some international flair to your workout routine. Below are a few of the most popular ways to get in shape.

Check your newspaper or inquire at your local gym to find a class that suits you best:

Zumba. (pronounced “zoom-bah”) As the commercials say, have you joined the zumba party yet? This Latin-flavored workout program blends dance and fitness into a fun but highly effective series of routines. In other words – get ready to sweat! Zumba is great for all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels, since the moves can be modified. Created in Colombia by an aerobics instructor who had to improvise when he forgot the music for one of his aerobics classes and popped in some salsa and meringue music instead. The routines stuck, the results were amazing, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Zumba classes are usually about an hour in length and feature a variety of hip-hop, belly dancing and Latin inspired dance moves. Each instructor creates their own routine, and tempos may vary but the basic rules are pretty standard and designed to provide a strong cardio and muscle workout. Because intensities vary, you can burn anywhere from 500-900 calories in an hour long session, and the tempos and rhythms will have you imagining yourself on “Dancing With Ths Stars” while you sweat the pounds away.

Bellydancing. The beautiful and exotic practice of bellydancing originated in Egypt in the 19th century among the Ghawazi, the female members of a group of people who traveled the area in a gypsy-like fashion. Bellydancing itself might have stayed purely local, and never gained the widespread acceptance it now has, had the Ghawazi and their tribe not been banished from Egypt in the 1830′s. Due to their exile, and the growing “Orientalism” fad in Europe, and their dance style, called by Europeans “belly-dancing”, grew in fame, and spread throughout the middle East by the early 20th century. Styles and movements vary from country to country, but there are a few standardized movements throughout each version.

Bellydancing provides a great “core” workout for abs and hips, and recently, belly dancing classes and clubs have begun to spring up all over the world. Various celebrities, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Paris Hilton, have been reported to belly dance for pleasure and to stay in shape, however the most famous belly dancing celeb might be the beautiful Shakira, who is reported to have also taught Beyonce some bellydancing skills. (It can also add some nice spice to your love life!)

Bollywood. Drawn to the lavish dance numbers in films from India, or just bored with their gym workouts, people are flocking to Bollywood-style dance classes. Inspired by the Bollywood film industry, this workout craze could be called East meets West, where hip hop and jazz influences blend with traditional Indian folk styles. Learning Bollywood style dances exposes you to a culture you may not be familiar with, which makes the classes even more appealing! The American Council on Exercise says ethnic dancing classes such as these are a major growth area for gyms and dance studios. The classes attract people who don’t usually exercise, along with gym members bored by running on treadmills.

Most of the routines are set to expressive and upbeat music. Be ready for a fast-paced, high-energy workout – you will work up a sweat. A Bollywood class is similar to high-intensity aerobics, can burn about 500 calories an hour, and can help increase bone density, strengthen muscles and improve circulation.

Capoeira. (pronounced “cap-wear-ah”) Originally a simple set of self-defense moves created by African slaves in Brazil, in an effort to defend themselves against their Portuguese masters, Capoeira has grown into a full-fledged martial art along the lines of the better known Asian arts such as Karate, Kung Fu or Jiu Jitsu. Because the slaves were forbidden to learn how to fight, or so the story goes, they disguised their art as balletic and acrobatic dance moves punctuated by spinning kicks and flips.

The intense, highly powerful movements of the capoeira style of Brazilian martial arts have been adapted into a less forceful, but just as effective, form of aerobics. Many of the elegant dance moves and rhythmic African music have been structured to fit this truly international fitness program. Loyalists have said that the combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise has brought tremendous results…it enhances strength, improves balance and flexibility, and can burn on average 500 calories per hour.

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