Fitness trends come and go, kind of like those pounds. In 2009, Zumba took the world of group fitness classes by storm, while the P90X reined king of infomercial buzz. Motivated people in NEPA are seeing extreme results with both.
Zumba classes invade NEPA
Zumba combines Latin rhythms with exercise moves, and according to the official Web site, more than 40,000 locations in 75 countries are teaching the program, NEPA included. Erica Michaliga, certified in Miami’s South Beach seven years ago, teaches Zumba at Maximum Fitness in Kingston. Her classes mix salsa, samba, reggaeton, cumbia and hip-hop in a workout she said burns from 600-800 calories.
“My goal in our classes is to keep everyone moving so that the heart rate stays up, for them to feel sexy, build self-esteem and inch loss, especially in the mid-section,” she said.
Jessie Roberts, midday host and music director at Froggy 101, and a friend have been taking classes at Scranton Zumba since ringing in 2008. Roberts said her self-proclaimed lack of rhythm made her apprehensive at first, something Michaliga hears often.
“I think the biggest fear people have about trying Zumba is they think they have to be a great dancer, which isn’t the case,” said Michaliga.
Roberts got over her fear and, two years later, she and her friend still religiously attend their weekly class.
“I can even bust some moves at The Woodlands now,” she said, laughing. “Once you get there, the music is crazy loud, you are with a bunch of new friends, and it’s just fun. You leave the class in a total upbeat state of mind every night.”
Tracy Anescavage, 27, of Jessup, lost 40 pounds since she began taking classes at Scranton Zumba in June.
“I’m extremely pleased with the results and the positive effect it’s had on my confidence. It’s motivated me to be a healthier person, and for that, I’m very grateful,” she said. “Gyms frustrate me so much, so I’m thrilled that I’ve found something that I still look forward to doing and don’t see as a chore. The people there, both instructors and people attending the classes, are a great support system.”
Roberts is able to keep up with Zumba, despite her crazy radio schedule, because of flexible hours and variety.
“(The classes) change every month. They’ve added additional classes, like Zumba Toning,” she explained. “The fact that it keeps changing and never gets boring is a major incentive. Plus, (Scranton Zumba) offers so many different class times that there is no excuse not to get to one.”
Anescavage agreed that the variety helps. Her weight loss started to plateau around the 20-pound mark even though she was going five times per week.
“I think my body started to get too used to it,” Anescavage said. “I started switching up: Zumba one day, Zumba Toning the next. By rotating classes day by day, I soon noticed even better results. If I’m feeling bold I take the Zumba/Zumba Toning back to back. It’s an intense, very satisfying feeling when those two hours are up.”
Anescavage’s impressive results were aided by watching what she ate, but Zumba played a considerable role.
“I try to eat healthy as much as possible, but that’s not always the case,” she said. “I don’t deny myself going out for dinner and drinks with friends.”
Zumba is also offered Mondays and Wednesdays at La Nota House of Dance in Luzerne.
Roberts, Anescavage and Michaliga said most participants in their Zumba classes are women, but one of Roberts’ friends did bring a male to a recent class, and Anescavage said there have even been a few older men at some classes.
P90X: A fitness super power for the strong-willed
No matter what words follow, they somehow won’t seem as powerful as the pictures sharing this space, the ones of a ripped Jumpin’ Jeff Walker from 98.5 KRZ. These before and after pictures show the results 52-year-old Walker had after committing to 90 days with P90X.
“P90X is the biggest fitness revolution in a decade,” Walker said. “It’s hard, but you will get amazing results. I’m a regular guy, not Mr. Muscle, and I got incredible results because I did exactly what the program said and toughed it out for 90 days.”
P90X, from BeachBody, is the company’s most extreme workout program to date. Fitness guru and celebrity trainer Tony Horton is dubbed the “Master of Motivation” behind P90X. Horton has, over the past decade, been a guest on Walker’s show promoting other fitness programs, including P90X’s predecessor, Power 90. So, while Walker admits he usually avoids infomercial hype, he trusted in Horton.
“Most of the stuff on infomercials is crap or just monotonous,” Walker said. “I knew P90X would be the real deal. (Horton) had tens of thousands of people do Power 90 and they asked for something to take them to the next level ... then came the came granddaddy of all workout programs: P90X.”
Walker said he bought both Power 90 and P90X on his own as a regular customer.
Intimidated by its intensity, he watched the program for about a year, but at 52, he reasoned that if he didn’t do it now, he never would. While the program is designed for in-home workouts, with a few dumbbells and a pull-up bar, Walker opted to do his workout at his gym. He was sore the first week, but the results made that pain go away.
“I felt so good. If you want to feel physically great, do this,” he advised. “This is the best thing you could ever do for your body.
“I did pretty good for a 52-year-old guy who doesn’t have that sky-high testosterone working in my favor.”
Since the program lasts 90 intense days, it’s not one most do year-round. Walker does a few of the routines as maintenance but plans to do the full 90-day program twice each year.
“After 90 days, the body needs a rest. Also, if you get mentally sick of something, you don’t want to do it anymore,” he said, adding that BeachBody offers many other programs to do in the interim.
Walker and his friend Larry (who lost more than 100 pounds) share results, pictures and stories about P90X at www.NEPA90.com, and in February, he is issuing a challenge to his listeners to try the P90X program. His vision is to have everyone start the same day, post pictures and stories of progress over the three months, and finish in time for Memorial Day, or, the start of swimsuit season.
“When people watch these infomercials, they ask, ‘Are these real people?’ or ‘Did they really get this way with this?’” Walker said. “With this, we can … give people that push, that added oomph, if they don’t have the natural drive on their own.”
Walker’s Web site will chronicle the challenge and show real results from real people.
“This is for anyone really determined. It’s like going to Navy Seal training,” he said.
The Challenge? Don’t give up
Whether it’s Zumba, P90X or another regular routine, the key is not giving up, especially before getting the hang of it. Take it from those who have personally seen persistence pay:
“People put too much pressure on themselves to be able to do something immediately that is impossible,” Michaliga said. “The success to Zumba is to keep moving, repetition and commitment. If we wanted to fly a plane, could we honestly expect to jump into the cockpit and be able to fly it without proper instruction and repetition?”
Anescavage was persistent even after she fell in class once. In fact, she was the only one who laughed; everyone else simply made sure she was alright.
“I’ll admit, for the first week, it was tough getting the routines down and keeping up,” she said. “But once I got everything down and started seeing results, I was so excited to share it with my friends!
“No one needs to do it perfectly; you just go with the pace that you’re comfortable with.”
With tougher, more intense routines, like P90X, it’s even more important to persevere.
“If you just put in the sweat and the pain and eat healthy, you’ll get results,” said Walker.
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