[Sally Pineapple]

My daughter loves Zumba and does it at her gym.
She is only 17% body fat and has that perfect figure we all wish for.
My question is that she wants me to come to her gym and do this with her.
I am over 300 lbs and 67 years old. I do not want her embarrassed by me.
I cannot jump up and down because of my weight, ankles and knees.
Is this something that can be modified?
So far I can only do Shawn T Insane workout on the Dr Oz website, which I modify for 15 minutes.
Is this doable or should I wait until I get more weight off?
Thanks in advance for your help.

[WinterRunner]

I am a personal fan of Zumba. I absolutely love it!!!!

Now, speaking as a daughter who has been trying to get my mother to join : If your daughter is asking you to go with her, she isn't going to be embarrassed by you. Zumba is a fun activity. I would say go and don't worry about embarrassing her, it usually is a really friendly environment.

For your worries about your weight and knees : Let the instructor know that it is your first time (or your first few times) ever going to Zumba. You can position yourself at an edge of the room so you can take a break when you need to. Also, let the instructor know at the beginning of class about your ankles and knees, they will let you know modifications.

Zumba is a an activity where people of all sizes and ages can get a great workout and move within their individual capabilities. It really is a fun activity. I would say try it once and if you don't like it, it is okay. You can also try to find out if your daughter's gym has a beginning Zumba or an easier level. Sometimes it doesn't say that it is an easier level but different instructors move at different paces. You will be fine at your weight, it is completely doable (just make sure you communicate with the instructor beforehand).

If you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes!

If your daughter wants you to go with her you should go. She knows you're older and heavier. She wants her mom to share in the fun that she's having in class. I wish my mom was around to share in some of the things I enjoy. Just talk with the teacher before class, do what you can do, and ENJOY !

[berryblondeboys]

There are ALLLLL sizes in Zumba class - just don't jump or do things that you can't. Everyone modifies in that class. There are kids in there to old ladies - fat and thin, fit and unfit.

And I agree, if she is asking you to join, she means it. It's fun - it might take a couple times to get the feel of it, but you will.

[sontaikle]

Zumba is fun. There are ladies of all sizes and fitness levels in my zumba class! It's popular because it's fun and so many people can just jump right into it

It's VERY flexible when it comes to differing ability levels and any decent zumba instructor will help you out. I'm sure the one your daughter wants to take you to is like that.

[liliesinmycereal]

There are all sizes at Zumba! Go for it! It's so much fun!

[hle82]

I've been going to zumba classes for years at my gym and it is a LOT of fun! Trust me, I am so uncoordinated but still manage to shake it to my best ability! There are always a wideeeeeee variety of ages and size of women in the classes. And they classes are always crowded because it's so much fun! Go and enjoy yourself Just do low-impact version of the moves if you can't keep up. It's about the activity and just having fun!

[a77isonbay]

Love ZUMBA!!! It keeps my body moving for at least 45 mins in the gym!

[sensualappeal]

I love Zumba and I think you'd like it. It's not super intense and easy to modify. There really isn't that much jumping or anything, its just latin inspired dance/workout moves. I think you should give it a try.

Or you could look up some videos of zumba on youtube and try them at home and make a conclusion based off that

[Sally Pineapple]

Thanks for the encouragement. I will be trying my first class this Thursday with my daughter.

[CurryMama]

Oh I love Zumba! I love to dance. I bought the dvd because I didn't think I'd have the time or money to afford classes with two little boys. Now the company that puts on their playgroup is going to start doing free Zumba classes 3 times a week!

[greenmonstah]

I am actually going to my first Zumba class tomorrow. I'm pretty nervous, but I figured I don't know anyone... so who cares if I look like an idiot?

[kcoftx]

Here's my advice. Take a couple glasses of water. Make sure you are hydrated before you go and between song sets, take a sip. It helps reduce heat exhaustion and I find I can breathe easier and last longer.

My first time, I sat out an entire song. Nobody said a word. Then I went right back to shaking. After a few months, I still modify some of my moves if I can't quite do it. The trick is to move it and groove and not worry about perfection. (My problem, besides lack of coordination in general, is I can't wear tennis shoes and I can't find a shoe solution that both supports my feet and lets me move to all the moves properly).

The ones I see the most modifications for are for jumping and turning. There is a wide variety of abilities for those two types of moves. Everything else seems to be okay. I also know that newbies tend to focus more on the feet before the hands. That's fine too. It is repetitive enough that you'll get the hang of it before you know it yet varied enough that there is always something new to learn.

[CurryMama]

Alright, so they finally got the word out for the free zumba classes. Mon, Wed, and Thurs for 1 hr each. My parents are gonna watch my kids so I am so there!! Way excited! My question is...how many calories should I take in if I do this all three days. Currently I am at 202lbs and taking in 1650 calories with little exercise. I found this website called zumbacalories.com. It says I could burn within 600-800 calories at my weight for 1 hour of class. So should I take about 1900 calories in? Or more?

[Sally Pineapple]

Here is my update. I tried Zumba and at this time I am going to pass on it. I just could not get into it and I was holding up my daughter as she tried to work with me so she was not getting a good workout.
I will work on my exercise at home.