Zumba Sentao - A different kind of zumba

Several months ago, one of the zumba instructors at my gym explained that she was adding a new class called Zumba Santao. This class, she explained, was a type of type of "toning". Although there were a few light dance moves, she said, you use a chair to help you do this! Although it sounded interesting, I did not think about adding it to my fitness schedule. For one thing, I love regular zumba and did not want to miss a dance class for a toning class. But I kept it in the back of my mind.

When I returned to Asheville, I decided to give Zumba Santao a try. When I arrived for the class, everyone had placed a chair in front of them. We started out the class by basically dancing around the chair, using some of our regular zumba moves to music. Slowly we started using the chair to be a base for us to do leg lifts, squats, balance moves, and even modified push-ups. Then the instructor would tell us to move the chair around so that we could do leg work on each side. I had never used a chair for toning exercises before, so this was a new experience for me. We also used the chair for our stretching session at end of the class.

I found  Zumba Santao to be intriguing, and challenging as well. The hardest part for me was learning when to place the chair in a different direction and being able to follow all of the instructor's unfamiliar moves. I went again and started to catch on to the routines. The last time I attended Zumba Sentao, I actually benefited from the stretching, as it helped to heal a lower back problem that I had noticed a couple of days before. I have been pain free in my lower back since attending Zumba Sentao, and that is always a plus for a toning/stretching class.

The class seems to be popular now, as the classroom is generally full at each session. Before I traveled to Hong Kong earlier this year, I researched zumba classes, and Zumba Sentao seemed to be everywhere!  As for me, I intend to keep going for the toning and stretching benefits. Who knew that a chair could be so useful in my fitness program! And it is fun as well - kind of a modern take on musical chairs, though no one loses their chair!