You gotta shake it. You gotta move. And if you're looking to ditch that boring workout, you gotta try Zumba!

Beto Perez of Colombia is the man behind Zumba. Zumba combines easy to learn movements with Latin music, while throwing in some international flair or hip-hop.

Today, you'll find Zumba classes in a number of places in and around Terre Haute. This includes Ultimate Health and Fitness, where you'll find my wife, Kim, and me on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

"When you're taking a Zumba class, you forget about your day's troubles, that you had to work today," says Yvette Hernandez, a physical therapist and Zumba instructor at Ultimate Health and Fitness.

"They see an increases muscle tone, fitness, flexibility, endurance, your cardio. But most importantly, they see they're losing weight,” says Misael Refugio, who also teaches Zumba classes at Ultimate Health and Fitness.

So what makes Zumba so popular? First, it's fun. After all, it's dancing. Second, it's different. You would never imagine yourself working out to the Latin music you hear. Finally, and most importantly, it's effective. Because it's fun and different, you are more likely to stick with it and get the results you're after.

Each class is one hour packed with lots of moving and lots of hip-action. A typical Zumba workout burns between 500 and 1,000 calories.

That's a big reason why Zumba appeals to people who've worked out most of their lives, people like Chris Newlin. She's been taking classes for a year now. While she knows she's getting a great workout, it doesn't feel like it because she says Zumba is so much fun!

 "I know I’m drenched afterwards, so I know I’m getting a good workout. But because it's dance, it's not like I feel when I know I have to go workout at the gym," says Chris.

But does Zumba really produce results? We stepped on the scales and had ourselves measured both when we started and after one month of taking classes.

Well, I started Zumba at 192 pounds and a body mass index of 28.4. I'm down to 187 pounds, my BMI dropped nearly a point, and I added 10 pounds of lean body mass in just one month. My wife did much better. She started at 159 pounds with a body mass index of 22.8. She's down to 150 pounds, her BMI dropped more than a point, and she added 6 pounds of lean body mass.

"Wonderful! You and Kim? You’re doing excellent!" Yvette is too nice! So far, so good, but we haven't reached our goals... yet! I'll continue to update our results on a monthly basis, plus feature other aspects of Zumba.

If you'd like more information about Zumba, give Ultimate Health and Fitness a call at 238-3600.