It’s the trendy dance routine and fitness craze that has taken the world by storm.
And now a study has found getting involved and attending three Zumba classes a week could cheer you up and boost your quality of life.
Spanish academics at the University of Granada carried out the study which was published in the Health Education Journal.
The findings reveal the positive impact derived from the dance routine can last for up to two months.
A study has found getting involved and attending 3 Zumba classes a week could cheer you up
Some 60 inactive university workers were given a five-week course of the famous fitness and wellness programme, Zumba.
Scientists have known for decades that sitting down all day in sedentary jobs, such as those involved in the study, can both ruin health and happiness.
A certified Zumba fitness instructor taught the participants during an hour session at the end of each day, the researchers noted.
Scientists at the University of Granada were keen to determine the dance routine’s impact on quality of life over time.
This broad concept was divided into social, emotional, physical state, body pain, physical functioning, vitality, mental health and general health.
What did they find?
They discovered that it improved the quality of life for the participants as a whole, especially the emotional aspect.
The positive impact remained for two months after the trial ended, with most of the dimensions above the levels recorded at the beginning.
‘It is interesting to note that the emotional dimension, which was the dimension with lower values initially, was the one that experienced higher values at the end of the exercise program and, therefore, greater improvement,’ the researchers said.
The team, who worked with an Ecuadorian university, are currently trialling a larger study, based on 16-weeks of Zumba.
‘Wellness centres’
Their findings, published in the Health Education Journal, tie in with the claims by health chiefs to turn hospitals into ‘wellness centres’.
Patients would be able to attend Zumba classes or have a facial on the same site that they would have a hip replacement or attend a scan.
The proposals formed part of the ‘Healthy New Towns’ initiative whereby ten areas of England are pioneering different schemes to improve their population’s health.
They were been backed by Public Health England – the Government agency for preventing ill health – who said ‘fun and enjoyment’ helped keep people well.
Figures estimate that around 15 million people take Zumba classes each week. The UK is the second biggest market after the US.