I am a middle-aged woman. Ok. I guess I'm past that. I am about to turn 60. I lost almost 200 pounds in 2006, and I had to come up with a way to work out which worked for me, as I can no longer hop around like I could at 20. My problem with exercise is that it's boring to me. I spend the whole time thinking about what I could be doing and hating it. I finally settled on buying a Wii and "Just Dance" and love it! It's like playing a video game, and I constantly compete against myself. I now have several different discs, so I don't get bored by repeating the same dances over and over. But now I'm looking at Zumba and wondering if that's what I want to do instead. Have any of you tried both, and if so, which do you prefer and why?
I haven't tried Zumba but I hear it's the best for exercise. Just Dance is very fun. I don't know if you noticed this but the only problem with Just Dance is it only tracks what you do with the controller. I end up trying to do the whole dance anyway but sometimes it's harder to get the right score if you're worried about your legs or your other arm.
Do you mean Zumba for the Wii or the actual class? I've tried Zumba on the Wii and didn't really like it. The movements weren't measured correctly most of the time and the workouts were kind of repetitive for me. I'd just stick with Just Dance if you're currently happy with it. They do a great job with that game in making it fun to play, but also getting in a good workout.
I understand wanting to be entertained, but I don't do my exercises through games so I can't really advise you there. I'm assuming you're meaning zumba for the wii, given the context you mentioned it in? The actual classes/routines can be a fun way to burn off a little bit and keep active.
Just Dance is great in its own way but the dance moves are more pop and jazz not to mention heavily controlled, whereas Zumba offers a more comprehensive dance workout seeing as it combines various dance disciplines from the classics to Latin to hip-hop to African together. Zumba allows more flexibility and lets your body move in all directions. I recommend Zumba. It took me almost an hour to sweat it out with Just Dance and but Zumba did it in 10 minutes. Also, you need an Xbox player and sensor plus game DVD with Just Dance which can be a hassle.
I weighed in excess of 300 lbs. when I started losing weight. I couldn't do much of anything without my knees and hips hurting. I graduated from the regular Just Dance to a similar game where your feet are also considered. Of course, I am 180 lbs lighter now, so it's not too much any more...
