Beto Perez - Zumba®: Ditch the Workout, Join the Party! The Zumba Weight Loss Program

Neither this diet and exercise program nor any other diet and exercise program should be followed without first consulting a health-care professional. If you have any special conditions requiring attention, you should consult with your health-care professional regularly regarding possible modification of the program contained in this book.

Results vary among individuals, even when using the same program.

Copyright 2009 by Zumba Fitness, LLC

Photography by Justo Pinero

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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First eBook Edition: September 2009

ISBN: 978-0-446-55825-9

Please consult your physician before beginning this or any other exercise program or nutrition plan.

You should always warm up before beginning any workout, and you should never exercise beyond the level at which you feel comfortable. If at any time you feel you are exercising beyond your current fitness abilities or feel discomfort, you should discontinue exercising.

Not all exercises are suitable for everyone, and this or any other exercise program may result in injury. Any user of the exercise program assumes the risk of injury from performing the exercises shown.

The instructions and advice in this book are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment by your physician. All questions and concerns regarding your health, weight, diet, and physical activity should be directed to your physician.

The creators, authors, and publisher of this book disclaim any liabilities or loss in connection with the exercise and nutritional advice contained herein.

ZUMBA, ZUMBA FITNESS, and the Zumba Fitness logos are registered trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC.

To my mother, Maria del Carmen, who is
my strength, and to all the ZUMBA instructors
who wake up every day to make the world
a happier and healthier place.

I would like to thank the wonderful friends and associates who have helped me bring this book together. They are:

Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, the smartest guys I know. I feel blessed that they found me, and then figured out, and executed, a way to take the Zumba philosophy around the world.

Petra Robinson, Koh Herlong, and the talented Zumba education specialists for creating and running the Zumba Academy.

Rodrigo Faerman, Roberto Moreno, Jeffrey Perlman, and Marcelo Borlando for their amazing innovations.

Tania Liberman, Melanie Canevaro, Iliana Soto, Andras Kende, Doug Jarquin, David Perlman, Tessy Staton, Jonathan Perlman, Valery Bronstein, Vanessa Saieh, Barbie Castellon, Michael Chesal, Vicky Zagarra, Esther Benmeleh, Linda Ramos, Deb Orringer, Adele Harrington, Alyson Rodriguez, Miri Aghion, Stephanie Perlman, and the rest of the Zumba office for being so dedicated to providing all the Zumba instructors with everything they need.

Walter Diaz, Hugo Calero, and Marcelo Cezan for being my friends through all the ups and downs.

Maggie Greenwood-Robinson for making me sound smart and putting the words in my heart on every page.

Barbara Lowenstein, my terrific agent, who made this book happen.

Diana Baroni, my editor, and everyone at Grand Central for seeing the power of Zumba and publishing this book.

The many, many people I have met through Zumba. I may not be good at remembering all your names, but I remember your passion and commitment to this fitness movement, and I am grateful for every one of you.

Alberto Beto Perez

If you are wondering what Zumba is, you have come to the right place. The book you are holding in your hands is your guide to the largest, most popular Latin-inspired dance fitness class in the world. Zumba has created an exciting new brand of fitness: a high-energy program with motivating music and dance moves drawn from salsa, merengue, and other Latin steps and free-form styles. It integrates some of the basic principles of aerobic, resistance, and interval training to tone and sculpt your body, burn fat, maximize caloric output, and benefit your heart and mind.

In this book and in the exclusive DVD that accompanies it, you will learn these popular Latin dances so that you can dance your way to a beautiful body in no time. I simplified the steps and put them together so that exercising feels like a dance party. That way, Zumba is easy for anyone, regardless of age or ability. I do not care if you are on your left foot or right foot; I just want you to have fun and get a great workout!

Years ago, I would never have imagined that Zumba fitness programs would become so popular and be made into a book. Back in the 1990s I was teaching aerobics classes at a fitness club. I showed up one day to teach but had forgotten my regular music. I was forced to improvise on the spot! Fortunately, I had some Latin music with me, so I popped those tunes in the tape deck and started doing Latin dances to them. Everyone in the class loved it, and Zumba was born. I have been both humbled and surprised that Zumba took off worldwide from there.

The overwhelming success created a demand for more information on Zumba and how to do itwhich is why I wrote this book and created its exclusive companion DVD. Nowhere will you find a more definitive and unique guide to Zumba than right here. I designed this groundbreaking fitness plan specifically for this book. You can use it and the DVD to learn and practice Zumba at your own pace, on your own schedule, right at homeand have a lot of fun while getting into amazing shape.

Now, for the first time ever, you will be introduced to the exclusive Zumba Diet, a unique food plan that focuses on bodyshaping foods, foods that have been scientifically proven to take fat off your abs, thighs, and all over your body. You will learn how to do this quickly, too, by starting with the Zumba 5-Day Express Diet, which can help you lose up to nine pounds in five days. Then you move on to one of the bodyshaping diets: the Zumba Flat Abs Diet, the Zumba Thin Thighs Diet, or the Zumba Basic Diet, depending on your goals. You will continue to lose weight steadily, too, and could be about twenty pounds lighter in about two months.

I have divided the book into three parts: Part One deals with the origins of Zumbawhat it is, how it got started, and what it will do for your body and mind. Part Two gets the party started. You will learn about the music, the steps, my sculpt-and-tone moves, and the Zumba routines. Everything you need to know is clearly described and demonstrated in more than 120 photographs. Do not make the mistake of thinking that a Zumba routine is like other, more monotonous forms of dance exercise. It is not! As you work through this book and watch the DVD, have fun, and work at your pace. If necessary, read through the relevant sections several times until you become totally familiar with the moves.