Maximize Your Zumba Workout Results: 5 Tips

If you're like me, you tried Zumba once and you were hooked! Congratulations to all of you who make time to regularly go get your sweat on, shake your booty, let it all go, leave shame at the door, join the party and better your health! Zumba is so fun, even if I weren't burning calories I'd still go to class...that being said, we all know that Zumba is an amazing workout! The following are 5 tips to help you get the most of your workout!

1. WATER! Not just during class. On the day in which you plan to get your sweat on and workout hard, begin hydrating your body from the morning. Start your morning with warm water and a squeeze of lemon (if you don't have lemon, plain warm water is fine), this wakes up the digestive tract and sets you up for proper water absorption through out the day.

2. Electrolytes are necessary if you are on a regular, high cardio (i.e. Zumba) fitness program. When you sweat your body releases water, contained in the water are electrolytes. You need electrolytes for proper water absorption. If you want your body to let go of weight, you must keep hydrated. Go figure, you're working out like crazy to lose weight, it's causing you to lose water (and electrolytes) so your body signals dehydration and holds on to fat (water is stored in fat tissue).

3. Do not eat junk! When you work out, your body is burning calories (food), it's burning fuel so from time to time you may be abnormally hungry (ok, you wanna eat the fridge). Yes, you can eat more, but eat clean food. Please do not eat junk. Remember my statement, “Zumba is so fun, even if I weren't burning calories, I'd still go to class,” well, if you're going to eat more junk because you're working out, I hope you agree with that statement. You'll be shocked! Eat clean, natural food and you'll be able to eat much, much more.

4. Try to eat before your workout, not too early that you're starving after your workout, not to late that your food hasn't digested and you can't workout. If you feel very hungry following your workout (point #3) eat something simple like a piece of fruit, a lean protein or a piece of toast. Simple is key. If you know you'll probably need to eat, have something prepared or at least ready in your mind. If you don't prepare, chances are you'll get home, open up the cupboard and binge (or even worse, go through the drive through.)

5. Salt. Salt is NEEDED for proper fluid balance in your body. Your body needs good salt to have proper fluid balance which effects everything: weight gain/loss, hypertension, circulation, muscle contraction just to name a few. Studies have shown that overweight individuals retain more water than their smaller counter parts and yet are more dehydrated. Bad salt is one of the leading causes of dehydration (next to not drinking water). Do not use bad salt: If you have Morton's salt (table salt) in your kitchen, throw it away. If you eat shoyu, use organic shoyu (or Tamari) only. Sea salt is good, Himalayan pink salt is better. If you are taking electrolytes that contains no sodium, put a pinch of salt in your water when you work out.

What I do: Before I work out, I take 5 tablets of my favorite electrolyte and I add a pinch of good salt to my water.

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