Frequently Asked Questions

This is what I found online (with some editing on my part):

Zumba, a type of dance fitness that’s been around since the 1990s, is the backbone of the dance fitness craze in recent years. The choreography combines easy dance moves with bodyweight exercises to get your heart pumping. Zumba incorporates a variety of Latin-inspired moves and international music to promote a healthy heart, to tone and condition your muscle, to promote flexibility and coordination, as well as to decrease stress.  

In my experience, Zumba builds my cardio endurance, tones my legs and core muscles (such as the glutes), improves my flexibility, balance, and coordination, as well as helped me lose weight years ago. Plus, it is a great stress reliever! Nothing beats dancing away my stress! As we move on the dance floor, our body releases the feel-good hormone, endorphin, and we leave the class feeling positive and energized!

Another bonus that no one talks about is: Zumba workout helps with our brain function. Dancing improves my memory and my brain's ability to focus and adapt. Researchers from a 2003 study "looked at the effects of 11 different types of physical activity, including cycling, golf, swimming, and tennis, but found that only one of the activities studied - dance - lowered participants’ risk of dementia. According to the researchers, dancing involves both a mental effort and social interaction and that this type of stimulation helped reduce the risk of dementia."

I am certified in both regular Zumba as well as Zumba Gold (for older adults or people who want a lower intensity dance fitness class). I teach both types at the Mililani Rec Centers. I try structuring my class to be moderate to moderately high intensity. My classes will be like an interval workout as we move between high- and low-intensity routines and dance moves. I like to use uptempo music, large arm movements, and ab crunches to make you sweat. There will be a little jumping, running and turning. That being said, you will not know you are working out because it's all fun! I also create choreography to fun songs that aim to tone your body using bodyweight and fitness movements. I call these my "toning dance routines".  

I do want to mention that I often remind my students to listen to their bodies and modify their moves as needed. If you do not feel comfortable with jumping, you may do tap-outs one foot at a time. If you do not want to do running movements, you may march it out. If you do not want to turn, you may travel across the room using grapevine moves, for example. The important thing is I want you to listen to your body and don't attempt anything you are not comfortable with, especially if you have an injury or if you have arthritis. That being said, I want you to keep moving and having fun while making modifications. 

Yes, as of Feb 2024, I have started teaching Zumba Gold class every Wednesday at 9:45am. If you have arthritis, injuries, or limited mobility, we have chairs that you can use to get an awesome seated workout. Chair Zumba is actually part of Zumba Gold. You can still follow my arm and leg movements while seated.

My moves and cueing are easy enough to understand, so anyone, young and old, can join in the fun. That being said, please listen to your body and go at your own pace. You don't have to dance at my speed, and there are no right or wrong moves.  The important thing is, you are moving and having fun!

There are NO restrictions. Masks and vaccinations are not required. They are optional, although I would like to practice social distancing in my class. 

Traditionally, a Zumba or Gold class is mainly made up of latin rhythms. My class won't be any different. However, since I am also into Latin pop, American pop and to a smaller degree, K-pop, you can expect me to include these in my playlist. I will definitely include the 4 core Latin rhythms - meringue, salsa, cumbia, reggaeton - plus other genres like hip hop, Bhangra/Bollywood, soca, Carribean, Brazilian funk, etc. in my class over time. I believe having a variety makes a Zumba class more interesting. I also like to introduce and expose my students to other types of music and dance moves.

For my Zumba Gold class, I love including oldies from the 60s to the 90s! I also include a Balance track in my Gold class, as I strongly believe in balance training for seniors.

For my Senior Fitness class, I will mostly play oldies from the 60s-90s. Occasionally I may play more current hits. They are all modified to workout tempo/ pace.

For all my rec classes, please wear proper footwear such as athletic shoes (no sandals or flip-flops), and clothing that is comfortable. Don't forget to bring your water bottle, towel and a positive can-do attitude to my class! :)

For my Senior Fitness class, please bring a set of dumbbells and a resistance tubing (with handles). Dumbbells can be 2-, 3-, or 5-lbs. If you are someone who has trained with free weights before, you may bring heavier dumbbells. My focus is helping seniors build muscular strength and endurance, not to bulk up. :)

For resistance tubing, I recommend light to medium resistance. You can find them sold on Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc. If you are a beginner, please choose light resistance tubing. There are always ways to increase the resistance on a light tubing (we can easily shorten it).

 I look forward to seeing you! :)

I am certified to teach Zumba, Zumba Gold, Pop Pilates, Silver Sneakers (senior fitness), Circl Mobility (like a yoga flow with a focus on continuous movements), and MixxedFit (another dance fitness format that incorporates bodyweight toning and boot camp-inspired exercises to increase caloric burn and endurance). 

I am working on other fitness formats, as studying/teaching fitness is my passion! 

We always start the class with a 5-min warmup to get our blood flowing and big muscle groups such as our leg muscles warmed up. Then we proceed to strength and resistance training. I will teach you the correct way and form to work different muscles. There will also be bodyweight exercises such as squats and lunges as these are functional movements. Squats mimic natural daily movements such as sitting and standing up from a chair. Lunges mimic natural movements such as climbing stairs. Functional fitness that mimics daily movements will help you improve your ability to perform everyday tasks.

At the same time, I also incorporate exercises that will challenge your balance and coordination (balance training). These exercises may be performed with or without dumbbells/ resistance tubing. They are great exercises to also challenge your brain. We move between seated and standing workout, so you don't have to overuse your leg muscles. Chair Pilates to increase your core strength and mobility, may be added. We wrap up the class with simple Chair Yoga stretches. 

This is generally a strength training class with a focus on balance, coordination and mobility. If participants like this class and think it helps them, I may consider teaching another senior fitness format focusing more on cardio and/or yoga.