Zumba class hits Fort Bragg

By Amber Avalona-Butler
Paraglide

“I tried an 8-minute video on Google and sweated, so I knew it was a good workout,” said Janitha Allen, who joined nearly 20 women for Saturday’s De-Stress with Zumba class, hosted by Army Community Service. Participants stepped to the multicultural beat of Latin club music at Sainte Mere Eglise Community Center from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

For Allen, who’s been at Fort Bragg for 10 months, the highlight was having fun and laughing during this fast-paced workout class.

Allen, the wife of a field support specialist and mother of two children, enjoys the atmosphere of Fort Bragg.

“I do a lot of things on post because there’s a lot to do,” said Allen, who also attends on-post Bible studies and dinners for Families of deployed Soldiers.

According to Zumba Fitness, LLC, “The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you’ve got a Zumba class.”
By some estimates, more than 105 countries adopted the Zumba dance routine in more than 60,000 fitness and exercise facilities.

The original Zumba workout, created by Alberto Perez less than 20 years ago, hit the scene as a fortuitous accident. When Perez forgot his music for a Columbian exercise class, he created an improvised routine using a mixture of merengue, salsa and other Latin sounds.

Perez moved to Miami and pitched the Zumba routine to business partners who helped make the style an international phenomenon.

Today, the exercise program targets every major muscle group and features spinoffs like Aqua Zumba (water routines) and Zumbatomic for kids.

“My husband has been deployed numerous times and it’s an awesome stress reliever,” said Morgan Whisenant, a military spouse and Saturday’s Zumba instructor.

Eighteen months ago Whisenant attended her first class as a student. She connected with the international rhythm and intensity and immediately enrolled in an instructor certification course.
Now Whisenant holds three certifications and will soon share her love of Aqua Zumba with Fayetteville-area women.

“When the world is on your shoulders and you need an outlet, you come in here and once the music gets moving, whatever’s on your mind just goes away,” Whisenant said.

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