Fighting depression, anxiety and helping women stay fit. These are some of the benefits of Zumba according to Hadeel al-Shamrani, the first Zumba Saudi trainer responsible for spreading the new exercise trend in the Kingdom.
Hadeel said that in order to get the full benefit to help her countrywomen, she decided to receive her training at the hands of the founder of Zumba, Colombian national Beto Perez, when she was living in Miami and where she obtained an international Zumba training license.
Zumba is classified as a new sport that has recently spread in the women's sporting centers in Saudi Arabia. It has become one of the sports exercises practiced for the purpose of maintaining physical fitness. Zumba involves dancing and performing to Latin music. It offers different options of exercise and can be practiced by children, young women and older people, as it does not require a certain fitness level.
Captain Hadeel stated that Zumba is a sport for everyone. It is a healthy and offers psychological and physical treatment, adding that Zumba can help burn hundreds of calories as well as eliminate depression and anxiety because it relies on rhythmic movements that increase hormone levels like Serotonin - the happiness hormone- in the body, which helps to promote self-confidence and mind clarity.
Hadeel stresses that Zumba is not a dance as much as it is a sport composed of physical movement that works to strengthen and build the body but since it depends on music rhythms some people have associated with dancing and prefer not to try it. In fact, it is a fitness program that relies on low impact sports movements that help exercise all body organs without suffering from cramps or excessive pressure on the muscles.
She also revealed that there is a large turnout of women in Saudi Arabia who are practicing Zumba, especially as it does not depend on a certain age or require a certain physical capacity so it can be exercised by anyone regardless of fitness. Furthermore, it is an enjoyable sport that offers a multitude of options.
“Many women are now making Zumba a daily routine and they show both interest and happiness, since it helped them overcome negative energy,” she said.

Source: Alarabiya