Review of Wii Zumba

As I mentioned in a previous post I'm a big zumba fan. My Wii Zumba game arrived yesterday, and I was really keen to try it out as soon as possible.

Today I tried out a 45 minute intermediate zumba class on the game. There were different levels available - beginner, intermediate and expert, as well as different class lengths - 20 minutes or 45 minutes. As I've been going to zumba classes for a while I thought I would start on the intermediate level and give myself a long workout, and after trying it out I think this probably was a good level for me to start at.

You wear a velcro band around your waist during the game, which holds the wii remote. The band felt comfortable, and I forgot I was wearing it as I was doing the moves. The games then measures how well you match the moves of the instructor. There is a bar at the bottom of the screen which goes up if you match the moves and when you reach the end of the bar you move to the next level. The only difference I could see between levels was the number of people on the tv screen, so I don't think it is anything to be concerned about if you end up slightly out of time or doing something different.

The workout was divided into a number of songs, starting with a warm up and finishing with a cool down. Each song had its own countdown timer, so you knew exactly how long it was until you got a 10 second break to grab a drink of water before the next song started. (And water was definitely needed between each song!)

The whole workout felt very energetic, although as with any exercise you could put less effort into it if you were struggling. I was familiar with some of the moves from the zumba class I go to, but there were also new moves, and I found them all easy enough to pick up after the first few times. There was also one song which we do regularly in the zumba class, with very similar moves, so it felt nice to have something familiar! By the end of the workout I felt like I'd done a lot, exactly the same as I do after a class. I really enjoyed the workout and wasn't tempted to stop at any point - something that I've found a problem in the past when working out at home alone.

The game itself looked to have other options, and parts that have to be unlocked, so it looks like there will be enough in the game to keep me entertained and keep me using it. I still intend to get to zumba classes when I can, because I do really enjoy these too, but this is a great backup to have at home and I'm sure will help me increase my exercise. Overall a big thumbs up!