Tamara Mowry is a new spokesperson for Zumba fitness, which sounds like a great collaboration on the surface. I have some personal experience with Zumba and do not recommend giving them money beyond going to classes. (More on that below.) I really liked what she told People about how fitness helps her mindset during lockdown and wanted to talk about it.
Tamera Mowry-Housley says that exercising amid the coronavirus pandemic has made her feel so much better — and not just physically.
“Exercise and moving my body really helped me mentally once the pandemic was upon us,” says Mowry-Housley, 42, who is teaming up with Zumba to encourage everyone to make time for a mental and physical break – a Zumba Break…
Explaining that she has been dealing with “a lot of stress and anxiety” during the health crisis, the actress says that staying fit has boosted her mental health.
“When we all had to be quarantined for so long, I really discovered the importance of diving back into exercising now that I had the time,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“I’m a huge believer in making lemonade out of lemons, so I wanted to use the time wisely,” she says. “I discovered that when I worked out and when I moved my body, I felt better. I felt better about myself — not only physically but mentally.”
Through Zumba, which Mowry-Housley says she’s enjoyed for 10 years, the actress has managed to stay fit.
“What I love about Zumba is that, for me, I can get bored really quickly with an exercise routine regimen. So doing Zumba, it’s kind of like a sneaky workout,” she says. “It’s dance, it’s fun.”
“The moment you hear the music, you hear the beats, you hear the drums, you can’t help but to move your hips a bit,” she adds. “You feel good, you feel uplifted and it gives you the energy that you need to have throughout the day.”
A couple of years ago, I took the course to be a Zumba instructor. I got it on sale for $199. After that, if you want to call yourself a Zumba instructor you have to pay $30 a month – forever. When I canceled my membership after deciding to focus on other things they sent me the nastiest, most threatening four paragraph email from Zumba legal. It said, in part “If you are still teaching classes… [this] subjects you to liability and damages for infringing our Zumba Trademarks.” I have read a lot of nasty legal emails (you know my job) and this made me think it was personal and like I did something wrong. After a minute I figured out that’s what they send to everyone who cancels their Zumba instructor membership and decided never to work with them again. While Zumba deserves credit for being an inclusive fitness practice, it’s a business that makes a lot of money, primarily off instructors.
All that said, I’ve also found that doing dance fitness instantly cheers me up. Living next to a Zumba studio did change my life. I love dance fitness for the same reasons – it’s so much fun it doesn’t feel like exercise. Just try to dance around your house to music and you can’t help but smile. (Watch the last Instagram in the Karamo Brown post by Oya today and tell me it didn’t make you smile just watching someone else jam out to music.) I’ve been doing dance workouts from instructors on YouTube and it helps my mood so much. My favorites are Mr. Helio Faria, Fit Body by Ashley (do her Beyonce workout!) and Kukuwa Fitness. Let me know if you have any other recommendations! I also joined Peloton to use with my old Schwinn. The instructors are great at giving pep talks and making me feel better about myself. A workout doesn’t usually get me through the whole day, especially lately, but it helps the day be tolerable.
I’m a Zumba instructor and yes sadly that’s where they make their money – they Also strongly encourage you to buy their clothes , the advertising to instructors is unreal. My membership is currently on hold – exception because of the pandemic but they are still charging me $10 a month to be used as a credit when I come back (max 6 months). I love teaching Zumba but i agree – it’s a rip off / I wish they had a cheaper option. That said they are very innovative and are always looking at ways to help instructors (but we know why)
Questionable business practices aside, I now LOVE dance fitness. I haven’t tried zumba but I’ve been doing Les Mills BodyPump for a few years at the gym and went online when we went into lockdown and through their app tried Sh’bam for the first time which is their dance one. Oh my goodness it is so much fun! I don’t do them as often as I’d like as I tend to split my in-house exercise time between pump and pilates with my old instructor who has taken her classes online but I never regret a Sh’bam when I do fit one in.
I love KUKUWA Fitness. I am dancing every morning for 15 Minutes. Thanks for sharing other sites, will try them out.
Try a Rhythm & Motion class! It’s based in San Francisco, has been around for decades, and is amazing. It’s a community as well as a workout, often taught by professional dancers (look for Dudley Flores!) but completely welcoming. And all kinds of music. Taught out of ODC School but available free online now (or you can pay to join a class as it happens).
Zumba is great because it doesn’t feel like exercise yet it makes such a difference to your body if you stick with it.