Zumba Fitness Core (Street 10/16)

I have hip dysplasia, or abnormally formed hips, which leads to limping and pain. I have had several surgeries and will eventually need one or both hips replaced. Several years ago, I was pretty miserable because I was in a lot of pain and had gained weight as a result. I wasn't able to do many of the exercises I once had as they caused too much pain. I also found that I wasn't able to work out enough to make a difference with my weight and stamina. So, I started working out with the Nintendo Wii. Because the system is in my home, I find it easier to make the time to work out more often. I have tried several work out discs for the system and I have had the best results with Zumba. I have the Zumba 2, Zumba Core, and Zumba International (the newest one). Working out three to four times a week for 30-40 minutes at a time has strengthened my legs to the point that I no longer drag my right leg (the one I've had the surgeries on), am in considerably less pain, and have lost weight, going from a size 8 to a 4. The graphics in the core disc are much clearer than they are in Zumba 2. The routines are long enough that you work up a sweat, the music is current and fun (I have even downloaded some of it on my phone), and it is interesting enough that you'll want to keep doing it. Over time, your core will become stronger if you do it often enough. I recommend creating your own custom workout in the class functionality. You can save multiple versions with different songs. Creating your own class prevents you from having to continually remove the remote from the belt, which loosens it. I agree with previous posters that have said that the belt is too loose. The one thing I would change is that I would like to see the backgrounds change for each song when it is in custom class mode. It will default to a single background which can get old if you add many songs to your class (which I recommend to get a full work out). This has really changed my life. If you are looking to feel better, I highly recommend this Zumba for the Wii.

ok. i was the last kid chosen in gym class for anything and am too self conscious to dance in public. i hate working up a sweat but but as i've grown older my slowing metabolism has forced me to reevaluate my dislike of aerobic exercise. in an effort to trick myself into some means of working out, i started with the let's dance 3 and eventually purchased zumba core, which i prefer. i make the following brief comments:PROS1. i like having relative intense, short (17-22 min) workouts. if i'm ambitious, i'll tag on a second workout. if not, at least i've done 20 minutes for the day.2. this will really work up a sweat for me and isn't impossible to score, so i am not panting, sweating, and demoralized by my one-star rating at the end of a workout.3. i like the music better. somehow a foreign accent makes everything more appealing.4. zumba doesn't require you to constantly move your arm to register movement. after injuring my shoulder, my ability to keep up with the arm movements (and score) in let's dance was limited.CONS1. i don't like the belt for the zumba. it's hot and awkward to remove the remote when you want to click on the screen. i've ended up just tucking the remote into the elastic/drawstring of my sweatpants and it stays without problem.2. the dance moves are harder overall than let's dance. also, the "upcoming moves" visual cues don't seem to be quite as good in zumba, so it takes a lot of concentration. if you have any sort of dance sense this probably won't be an issue for you. (then again, if you have any sort of dance sense, you probably don't need to work out with zumba!...)3. although there are tutorials, i didn't find that the actual workout used many of them. perhaps they are more useful in the standard (not "core") zumba games.i've had this now for almost a month and use it 3-4 times per week. it really gets my heart rate up, is more engaging than the elliptical, and seems to satisfy my secret wallflower urge to gyrate (however awkwardly) to latin and eastern music in the privacy of my own basement. what can be better than that?

I'm a total newbie to Zumba - I've never taken a class, and this was my first ever Zumba-related purchase. I read some reviews and selected this title since it got the best reviews of the Zumba Wii series at the time. I really like it! Yes, it is fast, and a little difficult to pick up some of the more complicated moves right away. You can practice some of them in the training mode at slower speeds, but there are some moves that aren't in the demo mode and they tend to be the harder ones. In many ways, it really doesn't matter - if you are moving in time and trying to approximate the move, you will do just fine. I'm not trying to become a better dancer, I'm just trying to get a work out, and I do like that this gives me the opportunity to give Zumba a try in the privacy of my own home! The sensor seems to mainly pick up whether you are moving in time and possibly with how much energy.The work out is great and so much fun that you won't notice the time going by or how silly you might look (if you are a bit uncoordinated like me.) The music is nicely varied with a wide range of international styles, and the dance styles are quite different to work out different muscles on each song so I notice that I don't get fatigued. I find the class mode the most useful, as you can select three different class lengths, with multiple class choices for each length, and the assortments of songs and dance moves in each class set are well rounded. You can select differently paced classes, so you can have everything from a 20 minute slower-paced class to an hour long fast-paced class. Whatever you select, you will sweat and have a lot of fun doing it!