Zumba fitness has swept the nation in recent years and Shape Up Sisters in Vicksburg has gotten on board.

The women’s only gym has classes Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Saturday and the participants get a good, hard workout in an environment catered to women, without the machismo of an ordinary gym.

“Zumba is tons of fun,” said Cheryl Van Norman, a Zumba instructor for the 9:30 a.m. class on Saturdays. “Any age can do it, it’s easy to follow. It gives you lots of energy, and there’s no pressure.”

Van Norman said the class continues to get more popular and expand with different variations including toning, water and step aerobics. The combination of simplicity and the music are what make Zumba a fun experience.

“What I personally like about Zumba, it’s keeping me healthy because I like to dance, it’s easy on my joints. As you get older, you don’t want to do all this high intensity stuff. It’s a good aerobic activity,” Van Norman said.

On Monday, Evette Arnold leads the 5:30 p.m. class, which she said she enjoys.

“The ladies are awesome. They’re so supportive, and I’m not a perfect instructor so when I mess up they just laugh and go,” Arnold said. “I love them to death and that’s probably the best thing.”

Aside from the health aspect of the class, women build their social lives with others they meet from the class.

“It brings people together. I always said if you sweat together, you’re going to be together forever,” Arnold said. “It’s something about laughing and sweating and working out that does something for your mind, body and soul that just draws people together.”

Arnold has taught the class for almost four years. She became a Zumba instructor after being invited by a friend at Shape Up Sisters. Her friend enticed her by telling Arnold how much it was going to be and if she was nervous then they could stand at the back of the class.

This advice eased Arnold’s fear of being laughed at, and she enjoyed the class.

After weeks of going to Zumba, another friend of Arnold’s encouraged her to become an instructor, since she caught on to the moves quickly, and said she’d get licensed with her.

“It was me and two other friends who came with me, and we got licensed together,” Arnold said. “It’s so much fun you don’t even feel like you’re working out. It relieves your stress; you’re enjoying people and just laughing and being together. That’s why I’ve stuck with it for so long.”
Zumba’s main attraction is the up-tempo music associated with the moves. In Arnold’s class, her playlist is comprised of clean lyrics and is a mixture of salsa, reggaeton, Christian rock, oldies and Bollywood.

Arnold wants the participants in her class to not feel like they’re at a club, which is the reason for her selections.
“They want a good workout and they want the clean music,” Arnold said. “I try to keep my music clean, no bad words. That’s one reason why I wanted to become an instructor. I had been to other classes before, and I didn’t like the music.”