In the last blog, I have introduced Zumba and its benefits to physical health and mental wellbeing. I have also mentioned that there are a large array of Zumba classes designed for individuals of various ages and fitness levels. Zumba Gold, which targets older adults, seems to play a role in successful ageing. This means that participation in Zumba Gold can help older adults live a healthier and happier life. So how does participating in Zumba Gold promote health of the older population?
First and foremost, as a type of aerobic exercise, engaging in Zumba Gold can enhance and maintain cardiorespiratory fitness (Dalleck, Roos, Byrd, & Weatherwax, 2015). Maintaining aerobic capacity is important for independence in activities of daily living, such as walking with groceries or doing house chores. Therefore, participating in Zumba Gold can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which is the second most common cause of death in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2019).
Other than preventing and managing chronic conditions, Zumba Gold can also help to prevent falls among older adults (McNeely et al., 2015). Falls are the most common cause of injury among the older population. Injuries due to falls may lead to reduced mobility, independence and chronic pain (Statistics Canada, 2015). Dance interventions, such as Zumba Gold, can improve one’s balance, functional mobility and gait, particularly among individuals with Parkinson’s disease (McNeely et al., 2015). Maintaining mobility and independence are key to good quality of life for the older population.
Furthermore, since Zumba Gold is a group dance class, it provides a great opportunity for older adults to meet new friends! Social isolation can increase the risk of multimorbidity, which means having various chronic conditions at the same time, to almost four times among older adults (Roberts et al., 2015). Therefore, participating in Zumba Gold provides a great opportunity for older adults to meet new friends to enhance one’s social wellbeing.
In a nutshell, Zumba Gold can enhance physical and mental wellbeing of older adults and thus assist in successful ageing. Not only will Zumba Gold help prevent and manage chronic conditions, they will also expand their social networking while engaging in the activity. If you enjoy dancing to music or making friends, why not give Zumba Gold a go?