Aqua Zumba: exercise, disguised

A low-impact, high-energy and incredibly fun workout, Aqua Zumba is suitable for all ages, and uses the natural resistance of the water to tone your muscles.

Aqua Zumba encourages smaller, sleeker muscles. Reem Mohammed / The National

To the casual observer, we look like five women wildly flailing about in a pool, faces flushed, hair sodden and arms in the air. But beneath the surface of the water, away from prying eyes, we are tackling some very challenging choreography.

A big fan of standard Zumba classes, I didn’t know what to expect of my first Aqua Zumba experience. Any form of activity preceded by the word “aqua” has me imagining blue-rinsed pensioners indulging in a mild bout of exercise while studiously making sure they don’t get their hair wet. ’Tis not to be.

I am at the Fitness First Community Club at The Lakes in Dubai’s Emirates Hills, and there’s not an OAP in sight. The timing of the class, 9.30am on a Thursday, means that it is far more likely to attract gym-bunny-type yummy mummies.

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Battling my apprehension at having to do any form of strenuous activity in a swimsuit, I ease myself into the pool. The music starts. It's the standard Zumba fare – a mix of fun, cheesy tunes, chart-toppers and salsa, Bollywood, reggaeton and flamenco numbers. First up is Bruno Mars's Uptown Funk, designed to get us warmed up and in the mood; then comes Sexy and I Know It for arm work, while Zorba the Greek is the soundtrack to a group endeavour that involves clasping hands with your fellow Zumba-ites and dancing around in a circle looking mildly ridiculous. Each track is designed to work different muscle groups and a good chunk of the class involves using the edge of the pool to do toning and resistance work.

It’s unexpectedly challenging. Trying to coordinate your movements underwater, while keeping your legs from slipping out from underneath you is a task in itself, and you are constantly fighting against the resistance of the water. I find myself completely out of breath on more than one occasion.

The instructor, Jackie Miles Kirby, who is utterly fabulous at 50, stands at the edge of the pool, running us through our moves, before joining us in the water for the less choreographed numbers.

Having already trained as a standard Zumba instructor, Miles Kirby did an Aqua course before moving to Dubai, having realised that there weren’t many such classes on offer here.

The benefits of Aqua Zumba are manifold, she explains. “Every time you move a litre of water, you are moving a kilogram, in terms of resistance. That’s the benefit you get in the pool.

“You are also working the ligaments that are attached to the joints, so it encourages sleeker, smaller muscles. The other thing is that the water is self-massaging, in a sense, so it helps to break down cellulite.”

Classes are open to men and women, and you don’t even have to know how to swim – as long as you don’t have any open wounds, you’re good to go.

Aqua Zumba exercises also have minimal impact on the joints, making this a great form of rehabilitative exercise for those with injuries, as well as pregnant women.

“Also,” says Miles Kirby, “the water disguises you, so you feel far less self-conscious about your size, maybe, or a certain part of your body.”

Put your back into it and you could burn up to 800 calories in an hour. But best of all, it is bags of fun. “Exercise in disguise,” Miles Kirby says with a big smile.