Zumba Fitness

The Wii has long been an exercise tool in our household. We've had various Dance games, not to mention the ubiquitous Wii Fit (which even inspired us to join our local gym!), but variety is the spice of life, and is certainly helpful if you are trying to keep your keep-fit regime interesting.

So, ordering Zumba was a bit of a no-brainer for me. It looked a bit like Just Dance from the promo videos, which was an encouraging sign, and Zumba itself came highly recommended, so what would it be like for me, a Zumba novice to do?

Well initial findings are very encouraging. It gave me one of the best workouts I have had in ages. I was still sweating after I had had my shower! But it was amazing fun though too. I went with the tutorials first, as I had never done Zumba before. Being a Zumba virgin, I found it difficult to follow the onscreen characters, and I felt a bit of a headless chicken. However, I soon realised that Zumba Wii rewards enthusiasm more than technical expertise. As a result I relaxed a bit and just enjoyed it.

I'm sure in a couple of weeks I will be doing it like a pro, or at least not doing it like an idiot. But thats the beauty of all Wii fitness programs: you can close the curtains!

The belt was functional, but so was my pocket, to be honest. If I lose the belt I won't lose any sleep over it. Provided your waist isn't over 50 inches wide you will be fine with it.

One other thing, make sure you have plenty of room when you do your routines, as you won't be staying in the same spot all the time....

Michael Macintyre did a routine about Wii fitness games, saying you soon realise that you can just as easily perform them by laying on the sofa and waggling your wrist. While this is true, it kind of defeats the object. Zumba is a keep fit tool, and from my early experiences, a very good one at that. It is not a pro Zumba instructor though. If you want do Zumba well, I would definately supplement this with proper Zumba training. If you already do the training you will love this though, as it allows you to practice at home. If, like me, you are new to Zumba, and are just looking for an interesting way to keep fit, then this is also ideal. Yes you can just sit on the sofa and waggle the remote, but the only person you are fooling is yourself!

With regards to how comprehensive this is as a Zumba product, I guess only a Zumba expert would be able to tell you that. However, you do get a wide variety of options:

Tutorials:

- Calypso (Basic)
- Calypso (Single Single Double Pump)
- Calypso (Basic with a Travel)
- Cumbia (Basic)
- Cumbia (Machete Step)
- Cumbia (Sleepy Leg)
- Merengue (March)
- Merengue (Que Te Mueve)
- Merengue (Pump)
- Reggaeton
- Reggaeton (Bounce)
- Reggaeton (Single Single Double Basic)
- Salsa (Travel)
- Salsa (Forward and Back)
- Salsa (Cuban)

Zumba Party

- Beginner 20 minute Class 1
- Beginner 20 minute Class 2
- Intermediate 20 minute Class 1
- Intermediate 20 minute Class 2
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 1
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 2
- Expert 20 minute Class 1
- Expert 20 minute Class 2
- Expert 45 minute Class 1
- Expert 45 minute Class 2
- Zumbathon

Zumba Class

- Beginner 20 minute Class 1
- Beginner 20 minute Class 2
- Intermediate 20 minute Class 1
- Intermediate 20 minute Class 2
- Intermediate 20 minute Class 3
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 1
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 2
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 3
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 4
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 5
- Intermediate 45 minute Class 6
- Expert 20 minute Class 1
- Expert 20 minute Class 2
- Expert 20 minute Class 3
- Expert 45 minute Class 1
- Expert 45 minute Class 2
- Expert 45 minute Class 3
- Expert 45 minute Class 4
- Expert 45 minute Class 5
- Zumbathon

So, from a novice's point of view, there is plenty to keep me coming back for more!

I waited and waited for 2 months for the Wii Zumba Fitness, but it was well worth the wait. I have been to Zumba classes in the past and found them great fun, and it's no different to playing it in your front room. It's easy to set up and you have different lengths of workout routines, along with easy, medium or hard. You are also sent a belt which has a pouch to put your Wii remote in (the remote should be on your hip when you put the belt on). I started with a medium and I recognised the routines straight away from the classes. I had to stop going to Zumba as I joined a gym and couldn't afford to do both, which was a real shame as I loved going to the classes, but this is a fantastic alternative, and you will feel like you've had a work out by the end of it...but you'll probably have a smile on your face aswell. The best fun I have had on my Wii in ages!!!!1

I don't often write reviews for things I buy on Amazon, however I treated myself to this and tried it for the first time yesterday. I wasn't disappointed. Easy to follow tutorial and the classes are great fun too. I was amazed at how much hard work it was, I was sweating like mad after a 20 minute workout. During the warm up I was thinking "this is the warm up, oh my god!".
It's not about accuracy it's about enthusiasm and whilst you get points for "accuracy" I don't care about the points, I'm in it to get fit and loose weight.

Give it a try, don't listen to the negative reviews on here, it's a brilliant fitness aid.